Casting Shadows
by Disco Ant
Summary: A year in the high school life of Lupin, Jigen, Goemon and Fujiko.
1. Chapter 1

First off, the title is random. I hate thinking of titles.  
Second, yay for lame high school drama filled stories! :D  
And third, this story contains language and crap.

Didn't someone write one of these on here? xD Oh well, this is my version.  
To clarify some things on the characters...  
Jigen is a senior and into sports and drinking and crap. Lupin is a sophomore and is basically just as he is in the show, sort of. Fujiko is a freshman and is sort of the same in the show. Goemon is a freshman and is the quiet loner type. And Zenigata is the same as the manga, probably. Haven't written much of him. I think that's it. Just the five original cast members are in this.  
I don't remember much of high school, which is a good thing. And I never involved myself in all the drama that goes on in high school, so I'm sort of exagerrating, most likely. I'm also too lazy to correct the spelling of exaggerating, so there. :3  
Also, I'm stuck on my other stuff, so my brain likes to torture me with new ideas and then my body joins in and does what my brain wants it to. Evil, I say! Evil!!

* * *

**Casting Shadows**

by D. Ant

Chapter One

The first bell rang, fifteen minutes until class would start. The students lingered around the halls, standing in front of their lockers while talking to friends, all telling the others what classes they got and what teachers they ended up being stuck with.  
The halls were a sea of navy blue and white, the school having a strict dress code. The girls wore navy blue skirts or dresses and white dress shirts. The boys wore navy blue slacks and white dress shirts with navy blue ties. Their socks had to be white and their shoes could be either black or white, but had to be dressy.

Jigen leaned against his car, finishing the last of his cigarette. He grinned when he saw Lupin walking towards him. "You look awake."  
"Yeah," Lupin said, continuing the sentence as he yawned, Jigen not getting any of it.  
"Better hurry to get your schedule before you have to sit in the office with the other slackers." Jigen dropped the cigarette on the ground and stepped on it, walking with Lupin towards the schools front gates.  
"My mom threatened to walk out on my dad again last night," Lupin said out of the blue, his voice slightly angered. "I don't know why they have to involve me in their shit."  
"They want someone to agree with their side of the argument," Jigen said.  
"I agree that they're both stupid," Lupin mumbled, standing at the back of the now short line to get his schedule.  
"Aren't most parents stupid?"  
"Yours seem pretty cool," Lupin shrugged.  
Jigen scoffed. "Not really."  
"Well, at least they don't threaten to leave each other and drag you into it," Lupin sighed.  
"Only because my mom is too afraid to leave and my dad has a good thing going. And get this. Last night my dad told me to lead the team to the championship or he'd beat the living shit out of me," he said as they stood at the small window.  
The woman behind the window glared up at him over her glasses. "Language," she said in a stern manner.  
Jigen grinned and mouthed the word 'sorry' and then rolled his eyes.  
Lupin was handed a slip of paper with his schedule on it, the five minute bell ringing in the background.  
"Well, I guess it was nice knowing you all these years," Lupin said as he stared down at the paper, the two slowly wandering away from the office. "This years team sucks."  
"I know," Jigen sighed. "And it figures when I become the starting quarterback that all the good linemen graduate."  
"Misses Perlton?" Lupin groaned.  
Jigen grinned and snatched the paper from his hand. "English, Algebra II, Chemistry 1B, European History. Wait, wood shop and metal shop? How'd you get away with that?"  
Lupin smiled and shrugged. "Mister Rudman likes me."  
"You need to get out of Perlton's class. That woman is a total bitch."  
"So I've heard."  
"Yeah, well, I gotta go this way, so I'll see you at lunch." Jigen waved and wandered off.  
Lupin sighed and shuffled towards his class.

Jigen was able to get through his first class, Advanced Calculus, without falling asleep. His second class, Web Design, bored him. He only took it to have a nice cushy class to breeze through, not wanting to do much work during his senior year. His third class he had been waiting for all morning.  
"Hello class," the teacher, a short balding man, said as he stood before the students. "Welcome to Zoology 1A. I'm your teacher, Mister Watts." He turned and wrote his name on the board. "For all you illiterates out there, that spells Mister Watts." He scanned the class, stopping when he got to Jigen. "I'm stuck with you again?"  
"I told you that last year," Jigen said as he grinned.  
"You finally starting this year?"  
Jigen nodded.  
"All right, class. If our team loses, it's all his fault."  
"Isn't it always?"  
"I'm not going to forget that interception you threw last year, you know."  
"During practice?" Jigen laughed.  
"Hey, an interception is an interception." Mister Watts nodded with a serious look on his face, looking over as the door opened, a student slowly entering.  
The student handed the teacher a slip of paper.  
"Transferred already? Wow, I got a troublemaker on my hands, I see." Mister Watts stared at the paper, a confused look on his face. "I can't figure out your name, so class, this is new student. Says he's a freshman, so don't kill him. I don't need blood staining my floors."  
The student turned to the class. "My name is Goemon Ishikawa," he said, bowing to the students.  
"Ah, Goemon," Mister Watts said as he looked at the paper again. "I can remember that. Why don't you take a seat and we can get started."  
"Heh, what a douche," a student sitting next to Jigen muttered as he laughed.  
"Says the biggest douche in the school," Jigen muttered, getting some laughs from those around him.  
The student turned and glared at him.  
"Are we finished back there?" Mister Watts asked. "Good. Now, zoology, the study of..."  
His words faded as Jigen stared at Goemon. 'Wonder if he's related to that Goemon Ishikawa Lupin did that report on?' he thought. 'Probably not. If so, what would he be doing in a shitty school located in a hellhole armpit like this place?' He shrugged it off, looking away and starting to pay attention once more.

"Holy fuck," Lupin said as he plopped his tray of food down across from Jigen and sat. "Perlton is a total bitch, but there is no way I'm leaving her class."  
"Okay..." Jigen rolled his eyes. Sometimes he knew it was better to not ask Lupin about the things he rambled about.  
"There's this new girl and she's got these huge tits And she sits next to me, which means we got partnered up for the first assignment." He laughed and grinned big.  
"Hey, Lupin," a flirty voice sung out.  
Jigen looked at the girl who approached them. She did in fact have huge tits, but Jigen could tell right off that she wasn't his type, so he decided to ignore her.  
"Fujiko," Lupin said happily. "Decided to take me up on my offer, huh?" he asked with a chuckle.  
"Of course," she said as she sat down next to him. "You're too cute to brush off."  
Jigen glanced up at her in disinterest, going back to eating his food even though her presence suddenly made him sick to his stomach.  
"Who's your friend?" she asked.  
"Oh, this is Jigen. He's okay."  
"Thanks," Jigen said.  
"So, what are we going to do for our project?" Fujiko asked as she flirted with Lupin.  
Jigen sighed, standing and tossing his trash. He noticed a commotion nearby, looking over to see one of the schools bullies picking on Goemon, pushing him around and shouting at him. "Dick," Jigen mumbled, putting his hands in his pockets and walking out of the cafeteria, towards the parking lot for another cigarette.

"I own this school! Got that, pussy?" The bully poked his finger into Goemon's chest.  
Goemon only stood and stared at the bully.  
"You gonna say something? You some kinda retard? Retard Pussy, that's your new name, Retard Pussy." He looked back at his friends, all laughing. "You still here?" he said, looking back at Goemon. "Get out of my face, Retard Pussy!" He shoved Goemon, knocking him down.  
The bullies friends laughed, soon getting quiet when the principle walked up.  
"Aw, shit," the bully muttered.  
"Come with me," Principle Zenigata said, glaring at the boy and grabbing him by his right bicep.  
A chorus of "ooh"s sounded in the cafeteria as the boy was led away.  
Goemon got to his feet, glaring at the bully and then silently walking away.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Lupin pushed himself off the wall, walking up next to Jigen as he walked by. "What are you doing tonight?"  
"Practice," Jigen answered.  
"Aw, come on. We have to do something tonight. I don't want to have to deal with my parents."  
"I'm sorry, but I got practice. What about that broad you met? Do something with her."  
Lupin sighed. "She said she's got a date."  
"Already?" Jigen laughed. "Doesn't waste time, does she."  
Lupin groaned, stopping and leaning against the lockers as Jigen gathered his newly gotten books. "And everyone else uses the stupid 'it's a school night' excuse."  
"Then, come to practice with me if you don't want to go home. I know it bores you, but what other option do you have?"  
Lupin groaned again.  
"We can go to my house for drinks afterwards. I know how anal your dad can be about his liquor."  
"Because his liquor costs more than it's worth," Lupin sighed. "Fine, I'll go with you."  
"We're going by my house first. I need to grab my equipment."  
"Sure," Lupin sighed, forcing himself to follow Jigen to his car.

Jigen lived almost eleven blocks from the school, the afternoon traffic making the trip long and boring. Lupin messed with the radio on the way, stopping and turning the sound way too loud when he got to a Mexican polka song, even dancing along with it, all to the huge embarrassment of Jigen, who seemed to sink down lower in the drivers seat.  
Lupin's laughter and dancing stopped as they approached Jigen's house, two cop cars and an ambulance sitting in front of it.  
Jigen parked at the curb, jumping out of the car and running to his house.  
Lupin slowly got out of the car, wandering after him, not sure if he should involve himself.  
"Hey, whoa there," an officer at the door said as Jigen tried to run inside.  
"This is my house," Jigen said quickly in a panic. "What happened? Are my parents okay?"  
"Why don't you just step off to the side here?" The officer placed his hand on Jigen's shoulder and guided him away from the door. "There was a break in this afternoon. Your father and the suspect got in a shootout. Your father is at the hospital right now with several gunshot wounds. The suspect didn't come out too well."  
Jigen turned as a stretcher was removed, the body on it fully covered.  
"Everything okay?" Lupin asked as Jigen walked towards him.  
"I gotta get to the hospital," Jigen said in a worrisome voice. "My dad got shot."  
"Is he all right?" Lupin asked as they both got in the car.  
"I don't know." Jigen started the car, put it in gear and sped off.

Lupin stayed in the waiting room while Jigen and his mom were led back to see his dad. Time slowly ticked away, the minutes soon becoming hours.  
"Well, better than being at home, I guess," he said to himself as he walked to the cafeteria.  
He grabbed some food and stood in line to pay when his phone rang. He muttered some obscenities under his breath and answered it. "Yeah?" He groaned mentally, his dad on the other end. "No, I'm at the hospital, dad. And no, I didn't do anything to anybody. Thanks for caring." He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "My friend's dad was shot, so I came to the hospital with him."  
"Four seventy five, please," the lady at the register said.  
Lupin dug in his pockets, pulling out a five and handing it to her. "I'll be back later, dad. I know it's a school night. I'll survive, dad, trust me." He turned the phone off and took his change, taking his food and sitting down, where he inhaled it all.

Lupin went back to the waiting room. The next thing he knew Jigen was waking him up, telling him he was going to take him home. Lupin mumbled a response and walked half asleep to the car.  
He remembered hearing Jigen ramble on about his worries. And he remembered dragging himself home to have his dad start yelling at him. He couldn't remember what either said and he only felt bad with not hearing Jigen, as he always felt his dad could just go to hell.  
"I'll have to ask him what he said without asking him what he said," Lupin said the next morning as he got dressed for school.  
"You're going to be late," his dad barked as he stood in the doorway to his room.  
"I'll be fine, dad," Lupin said with no emotion in his voice.  
"You haven't eaten yet."  
"I can eat at school."  
"I want you home by seven tonight." His dad glared at him. "No more of this getting home at one thirty in the morning bullshit!"  
'One thirty?' Lupin thought, pausing in the middle of putting on his tie. 'I wonder...' He quickly finished with his tie, turning and squeezing past his dad to get his things. "Bye!" he yelled out as he ran out the door, starting his usual walk to school.  
He pulled his cell phone from his pant pocket and dialed Jigen's number, waiting impatiently as it rang and rang, finally shutting his phone off in frustration.

"Hey, cutie," Fujiko flirted, walking up behind Lupin as he sat in class and wrapping her arms around his neck.  
"Hey, Fujiko," he mumbled, staring down at his desk.  
"Is he that bad?" she asked, the news of the shooting in the paper and read by most at the school.  
Lupin shrugged. "Jigen isn't here and he's not answering his phone."  
"If you want I can have Peter give you a ride to the hospital."  
"Peter?" Lupin asked.  
"My boyfriend."  
"I thought you went out with a Jason last night?"  
"I did," she said with a smirk. "And I dumped him this morning and started to date Peter."  
Lupin sighed. "I can't. My dad wants me home by seven."  
"Peter can wait. He'll do anything I ask him to." She looked almost proud of her manipulative powers.  
"I'll think about it," Lupin muttered as the bell rang, everyone starting to get in their seats as Misses Perlton stood in front of the class and glared at everyone.

"I heard about your friend, Lanky."  
Lupin glared up at the bully that had picked on Goemon the day before. "Piss off, Nick."  
Nick laughed. "Or what?"  
Lupin glared down at the cardboard tray in front of him.  
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Stupid ass. Not so big without your little bodyguard now, are you?"  
Lupin tensed with anger, standing and reaching his hand out, grabbing tightly Nick's tie and pulling him forward. "I said piss off," he growled, shoving Nick back.  
Nick looked a little shocked, nervousness hitting when he noticed the people around them all staring at him. "You will pay for that!" Nick yelled, pointing a finger at Lupin before stomping off.  
Lupin looked around, people now looking at him. "What are you staring at?!" he yelled, the people quickly turning around and looking away.  
He plopped back down on the bench, leaning his head into his hand as he stared off, slowly eating his food.

Fujiko stood with Peter, both waiting by Lupin's locker when the school day ended. Lupin declined the offer, thanking both and then waving as they left. He just wanted to be alone that day.  
He found himself wandering to the small creek that ran north of the industrial part of the small city. Once there, he sat on a large boulder, sitting in the hot sun and staring at the small assortment of wildlife around him.  
His problems seemed to disappear, leaving him with a sense of calm. That was until he was grabbed from behind and pulled to the ground, where he was punched and kicked.  
He curled up in a ball, not once seeing who or how many were beating him, only hearing the voice and laughter of Nick.  
"Don't fuck with me, Lanky!" Nick yelled as he stared down at Lupin once the beating had stopped. He then spit on him, laughed and walked away with the others.  
Lupin stayed curled in a ball, crying from the pain that throbbed throughout his body.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Dad!" Lupin yelled, trying to get him to stop talking. "It's not a big deal, dad!"  
"Not a big deal?! Look at you!"  
Lupin looked down.  
"Grab your jacket," his dad said. "We're going to see Doctor Harrison."  
"Dad..." Lupin whined.  
"If anything is broken, I'll break whoever did this to you."  
Lupin closed his eyes and sighed, upset about the whole situation.

"Did you see who did this?" Lupin's dad asked as they drove to the hospital.  
'What if I run into Jigen?' Lupin thought as he stared out the window. 'He doesn't need one more thing to worry about.'  
"Did you?"  
"Huh? Oh, no, I didn't. They jumped me from behind."  
"They?" He scoffed and shook his head. "Who'd you piss off?"  
"Nobody," Lupin mumbled.  
"I'm sure."  
Lupin sighed as they pulled into the parking lot.

It would be almost two hours later when they would leave, Lupin escaping the attack with only a couple bruised ribs and minor scrapes and cuts and a black eye.  
His chest was wrapped with a brace and he was given some medicine for the cuts before given the OK to leave.  
And to his relief he didn't once see Jigen.  
He was also relieved when his dad seemed to calm down over his attack. 'Maybe he'll just drop it,' he thought with a sigh as he stepped inside his house.  
"Put that stuff on your cuts, change and get ready for dinner," his dad ordered as Lupin walked to his room.  
"Yes, dad," Lupin mumbled, doing as he was told.

For Lupin it was another sleepless night, laying in bed and listening to his parents fight.  
The next school day was the same as his last two, trying to get through it awake.  
Fujiko walked into Misses Perlton's class, stopping and gasping when she saw Lupin. "Aww, you poor thing. What happened?"  
Lupin seemed to eat up the attention. "I pissed off Nick," he shrugged. "Nothing big."  
"You know what?" she asked flirtingly. "Those cuts and bruises give you that rugged sexy look." She smiled, kissed his cheek and sat at her desk.  
"Really?"  
She nodded.  
"Maybe I should piss him off more often, huh?" he laughed.  
His laughing faded when the teacher walked in. How he despised her, but Fujiko was worth it. 'She's worth anything,' he thought as he stared at her with a smile on his face.

Lupin was surprised to see Fujiko still with Peter, the two walking up and joining him for lunch.  
Peter was one of those plain looking nice guys, someone who didn't care he was basically dating a slut, only caring about his own ego and sexual urges.  
Lupin was jealous of this, as he knew Peter was most likely screwing her, but with how Fujiko was, Lupin just knew he'd get his chance soon.  
"What are you doing tomorrow night?" Lupin asked Fujiko.  
"Me and Peter are going to the game. You're going, right?"  
Lupin shrugged. "Probably."  
"You want to come with us?" she asked.  
"Sure."  
Fujiko smiled and nodded, drinking the last of her soda. "Oh, Lupin, can you go and get me another drink, please?" she asked, giving a pouting look.  
"Okay," he said quickly, getting to his feet and walking to the soda machine.  
'Hmm,' she thought as she watched him. 'I wonder how far he'll go?' A mischievous smile formed on her lips.  
Peter didn't notice any of this, as he was busy eating and finishing up his work for his next classes.  
"Here you go," Lupin said. "I got you two, in case you get thirsty later." He smiled and sat down.  
"You're so sweet," she said, taking the drinks. "Oh, you see that guy there?" She pointed to some small freshman wearing glasses sitting with his friends at the next table.  
"Yeah?" Lupin said. "What about him?"  
"He said I was a slut."  
"He what?!" Lupin asked in anger. "Who the hell is he calling you names?"  
"Could you go and punch him for me?"  
"I'd be happy to," Lupin said, standing and walking to the table.  
'That was easier than I thought,' Fujiko thought with a smile.  
"Hey," Lupin said to the kid, tapping him on the shoulder. "Take your glasses off."  
"Uh, why?" the kid wondered.  
"I just want to see something," Lupin said innocently.  
"Oh, um, o-okay." The kid removed his glasses, looking back at Lupin.  
"Thanks," Lupin said, pulling his hand back and thrusting it forward into the kids face.  
Fujiko saw this and flinched, not realizing he'd hit the kid so hard.  
Lupin started to walk back to his seat, a smile on his face, feeling triumphant when a hand grabbed his shoulder.

"I see you're starting off earlier than last year," Zenigata said as he glared at Lupin.  
Lupin grinned and shrugged.  
"Is there any particular reason you hit that kid?"  
"Fujiko said he called her a slut and she wanted me to hit him, so I did."  
Zenigata gave him a blank stare. "Fujiko told you and-" He closed his eyes and sighed. "This is going to be a long year," he groaned.  
"Can I go now?" Lupin asked. "I can't be late for class."  
"I'm putting this on your record," Zenigata said. "And I'm filing another transfer form for you."  
"It'll just get ignored again," Lupin laughed, standing and waving as he walked out the door.  
"Why me?" he whined as he watched the door shut.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The final bell rang, Goemon gathering his books and heading to his locker. He hadn't found any friends in his first three days at the new school. The only thing he found was bullies.  
He didn't understand this, as his old school never had a bully problem.  
It was where he wished he was. His old town, his old house, his longtime friends, his old school, he wished his family would go back.  
In his daydreaming he didn't see the foot go out in front of him, tripping on it and falling to the floor.  
"Have a nice trip?" a large dumb looking senior said, he and his friends all laughing at Goemon's expense.  
Goemon looked up at them and glared, looking away to pick up his books and papers.  
"You want to make something of it?" the senior said, walking up and kicking one of Goemon's books further down the hall. He then smirked and walked away, his friends all laughing as they followed.  
Goemon watched them, the glare fading to a look of sadness as he sighed, walking over to get his book.

Goemon sat at the table, his parents across from him as they all ate their dinner.  
"How is school going?" his dad asked.  
"Fine," Goemon said.  
"Have you made any friends, yet?" his mom asked.  
Goemon shook his head. "Not yet," he mumbled.  
"Oh, well the year just started," his mom said in a kind voice. "I'm sure you'll have new friends in no time." She smiled.  
"Yeah," he said, giving her a half smile.  
The rest of dinner was filled with menial conversation, his father talking about something that had happened at work that day.  
Goemon excused himself from the table when he finished, his plate still with half his dinner on it. He used the excuse of a lot of homework for his quick departure, but in reality he just didn't want to hear anymore of his fathers talking.  
'He's the reason we're here,' Goemon thought as he walked into his room and closed the door. 'He didn't care about me, only his stupid job and getting more money. He never asks me about my day, but I'm supposed to care about his.'  
Goemon sighed, laying down on his bed and staring at the ceiling. He didn't want to go back to school. Three days was enough. He didn't know how much more of the bullying he could take.  
"And if I fight back..." he mumbled, letting out a long sigh. "Father will punish me. But, how much longer can I go?"  
He stared down at his books, sitting up and grabbing them, letting his thoughts fester as he completed his homework.

Lupin snuck out to go with Fujiko and Peter to the schools first football game of the season. He found it more interesting than sitting in his room, having been grounded by his father after the incident at lunch that day, Zenigata of course blowing it all out of proportion.  
He was hoping to see Jigen there, scanning the sidelines as they took their seat, not seeing anyone in a number six jersey.  
For this reason Lupin lost interest in anything that night. Tired of seeing his school losing horribly and sick of hearing Fujiko and Peter flirt and make out, he got up and walked off, wandering the school until boredom led him home, sneaking back in through his window and going to sleep.

"I want your money," Nick said as he shoved Goemon against the lockers. "Now!"  
Goemon glared at him, reaching in his pocket and pulling out whatever money he had, throwing it down the hall.  
"Think you're funny? Go pick it up, Retard Pussy!" He grabbed Goemon and shoved him towards the money. "Pick it up with your teeth."  
Nick's friends laughed as Goemon turned and glared at them.  
"No," Goemon said.  
"Huh?" Nick tensed up, walking over and slamming his balled up fist into Goemon's stomach.  
Goemon crumbled to the floor, gasping for air as he held his stomach.  
Nick turned, glaring at Jigen, who had just entered and was heading towards his locker. "What do you want?" nick asked in an angry tone.  
Jigen gave him a blank stare and looked at his locker, turning the dial and opening it.  
"Tch, stupid jock," Nick said, giving Goemon a mild kick to the chest as he walked by to collect his money.  
Jigen glanced as Goemon started to get up, looking back and closing his locker, leaving the hall in silence.  
Goemon limped off, looking down in anger as he made his way to the bathroom, the pain causing him to throw up.

"Jigen!' Lupin said happily as he walked up to him after the first class was over. "Hey, how's your dad?"  
Jigen shrugged. "It's still a wait and see thing."  
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, his smile fading.  
"What happened to your face?" Jigen asked, wanting to change the subject.  
"Nothing," Lupin grinned.  
"Right. As if you're always that ugly."  
"Hey!"  
"Was it Nick?" Jigen stared at Lupin seriously.  
"Maybe," Lupin mumbled as he looked down.  
"Hmm." Jigen grabbed what books he needed and closed his locker. "So, I hear we got killed last night," he said, changing the subject yet again.  
"Yeah, I guess so. I didn't see the whole thing."  
"You actually went?" Jigen laughed.  
Lupin smiled and shrugged. "I thought you'd be there. Haven't been able to get a hold of you since we were at the hospital."  
"Yeah, sorry about that. I just wanted to be alone."  
"I understand," Lupin smiled. "I still gotta go to my locker, so I'll see you later."  
"Sure." Jigen nodded and then turned to go to class.

Goemon's stomach growled during lunch. He looked around to others sitting and eating either food from home or hot school lunches. His mouth watered and his stomach growled some more. Sighing, he wandered off.  
He turned the corner of the cafeteria, with his luck walking towards the senior who had tripped him the day before.  
"Well, well, if it isn't my little buddy," the senior said, wrapping his large arm around Goemon and leading him down towards the end of the building. Away from other students and teachers, he preceded to punch and kick Goemon, who was defenseless against the much larger and stronger senior.  
"See you tomorrow," the senior said with an evil grin, staring down at Goemon.  
Goemon didn't look at him, staring away as he wiped the blood from his nose.  
He stood and made his way to the bathroom, looking at his reddened face in the mirror. He knew he'd never be able to hide it from his parents. He knew what they would say to him. He knew it'd all end up being his fault.  
Turning on the faucet, he splashed his face with cold water, the water falling into the sink stained a light red, drops of blood from his nose falling onto the edge of the sink.  
With everything catching up to him, he closed his eyes shut, leaning over the sink as he sobbed.


	5. Chapter 5

This was supposed to be two separate chapters, but they were lacking so I put them together. I don't know why I wrote this, but I did weeks ago and decided to finish the chapter, since it was mostly done anyway. My writing mood has died, I think. xD Well, when it comes back, I will update more

* * *

Chapter Five

"Hey," Lupin said as he wandered into the living room of Jigen's house. He sat next to Jigen, who sat in his jeans, t-shirt, baseball hat and socks as he played video games. "Having fun playing a game with absolutely no violence at all?" Lupin asked, staring in disinterest at the TV.  
"What?" Jigen blurted out. "There's violence. Look at that tackle. You can't tell me that's not violent."  
Lupin stared at Jigen and sighed.  
Jigen smiled, keeping his eyes on the TV.  
"I was kind of surprised you were here when I called," Lupin said, slouching down in the couch and staring with flat eyes at the TV. "I thought you'd be at the hos-"  
"I've had enough of that place," Jigen said with a tinge of anger.  
"But, your d-"  
"Can we not talk about this, please?"  
"Yeah, sorry," Lupin sighed.  
"So, why are you even here?"  
"You're my friend?" Lupin said in annoyance.  
"It's a friday night. Aren't you usually screwing some broad at the park?"  
Lupin looked at Jigen and glared.  
"Rejected again?" Jigen laughed.  
"Can I talk to you about something?" Lupin asked after a couple of minutes of silence and a long sigh.  
Jigen shrugged, doing some mumbling and complaining when the targeted player missed the catch.  
"When you, you know, truely...love...somebody...I mean, how..."  
"How do you tell them?" Jigen asked, finishing the sentence.  
"No! Well, I mean, sort of..." Lupin's voice trailed off as he stared down at his lap uncomfortably.  
"You must be desperate coming to me for dating advice," Jigen laughed.  
"You and Tina are doing pretty go-"  
"Tina? Tina?! Who says I'm dating Tina?"  
"Well, she is."  
"Fuck."  
"So, you're not-"  
"Why the fuck would I date that whore?! I'm not fucking desperate!"  
"Oh." Lupin looked away, now even more uncomfortable.  
"Look," Jigen sighed. "Just come out and tell her how you feel. The worst that can happen is she'll say something idiotic about just being friends."  
"But...what do I say?"  
Jigen stared at Lupin and sighed. He tossed the controller next to him, stood and walked into the kitchen for some beers. He knew it would be a long night.

Goemon was able to get passed his parents without them seeing the cuts and bruises on his face. He then said he wasn't feeling well and closed himself up in his room.  
Thinking about the last week made him shake in anger. He not only hated the bullies, but also started hating everyone at the school. The students, the teachers, they all saw what was going on, but none did anything about it.  
And as much as he didn't want to face the school every weekday, he knew he had to. He knew it would make his mom happy and she meant everything to Goemon.  
"I'll do this for her," he mumbled. "But only for her."  
He skipped dinner, his growling stomach scolding him for his decision. "Wait a few more hours," he told it as he lay in bed, planning a midnight kitchen raid, smiling happily at the thoughts of food.

Jigen mumbled something as he opened his eyes, blinking a few times to see the clock. "Noon," he sighed, laying back down and placing his arm over his eyes.  
"You going to sleep all day?" his mom asked as she walked by his room.  
He didn't answer. Getting the feeling of being watched, he lifted his arm and looked towards his door, his mom still standing there. "Everything okay?"  
"Your father woke up this morning."  
"He did?" The news made Jigen sit up. "Is...is he..?"  
"They took him off of life support and he's doing fine," she said with a smile.  
Jigen smiled and stared off.  
"Also..." His mom hesitated as she tried to find the words to say, knowing however she said them that she'd get the same response. "I made an appointment for you with Doctor Robinson."  
Jigen's smile faded as he stared at his mom. "No."  
"Just listen to-"  
"No, mom! I'm not going to see some shrink!"  
"Just go for one day, please!"  
"Why?" Jigen asked as he glared at his mom. "Why are we paying to have me talk to somebody?"  
"Because I'm worried about you." She stared at him, tears forming in her eyes.  
Jigen looked away. "I'm fine, mom," he mumbled.  
"It's just one session. And we'll see how it goes from there. She can help you through this."  
"Fine," he mumbled. "It won't help, though," he said as he got to his feet and grabbed some clothes. "This is how I deal with stuff, mom."  
She looked down as he walked by her. She was happy he agreed with it, but also felt ashamed she couldn't deal with it herself.  
Jigen got dressed and grabbed some food, eating it on the couch while he played video games, ignoring the world around him.  
A knock came at the door, Jigen's mom answering it, letting Lupin in and then continuing what she was doing.  
"Hey," Lupin said as he walked up and sat next to Jigen. "Didn't this just happen?" Lupin asked as he got that deja vu feeling.  
Jigen remained silent and focused on the game.  
"Did something happen?" Lupin wondered.  
"My mom set me up with some shrink."  
"Oh. Why?"  
"She's...she thinks I need it," he shrugged.  
"I could have told her that years ago," Lupin joked, his laughter fading when he saw Jigen wasn't in the mood. "When do you go see this shrink?"  
"Two hours."  
"Oh. Well, then I guess you don't have time to go see a movie later."  
"Tomorrow, maybe."  
"Relatives are coming over tonight, so tomorrow is family time."  
Jigen smirked. "Family time," he laughed.  
Lupin looked at him and grinned. "My parents have to pretend to get along, so it should be somewhat interesting, I guess. And me and my cousin bet on who would explode first."  
"Hopefully you chose your mom."  
Lupin nodded. "I'll be a hundred dollars richer by Sunday night, at least."  
"Like you need the money."  
Lupin laughed and stood. "More never hurts. Well, have fun revealing your inner most thoughts to some stranger. I'm gonna go wander around the mall until the movie starts."  
"All right. See you Monday, I guess."  
Lupin waved and then left.  
Jigen sighed, glancing at the clock, dreading what was soon to come.

Jigen followed the doctor into the room, which was large, bright and mostly empty save for two chairs, a couch, two small tables and some plants. He walked slowly, standing as the doctor sat.  
"Please, have a seat," she said, motioning to the couch across from her.  
Jigen looked behind him, plopping himself in the couch and getting comfortable, staring blankly at the doctor, a middle aged woman in an expensive dress suit, her short black hair slicked back.  
"Your mother made this appointment because she's worried about your behavior of late," the doctor said.  
Jigen only shrugged as he glanced off.  
"Your drinking, smoking and anger issues," she said, trying to get Jigen to say something. "Why don't we start with the drinking."  
Jigen scoffed. "I've told her this before. Drinking and smoking helps me relax. My dad was dying in the hospital, so naturally I drank and smoked more."  
"And the anger?"  
Jigen glanced out the window and sighed. "I'm just...sick of everything. I go to school and everyone seems so fake. Everyone is so caught up in their little dramas, things that don't matter in life, and it angers me." He shrugged and looked down at his hands in his lap.  
"Anything in particular that angers you?"  
"My best friend loves some slut, but she just leads him around and he can't see it. He talks about her like she's some goddess, but she's just some stupid whore. And if I try to say something about it he just gets mad and walks off."  
The doctor nodded as she took some notes.  
"And then I always see the same people getting pushed around and beaten by these cowards and I don't understand why they don't stand up for themselves."  
"And what do you do when you see this?"  
"Nothing. It's not my life. Why should I get involved with spineless cowards? I mean, all they have to do is fight back and they'll get left alone. That's what I did and I don't get bullied."  
"So, you just see the victims as cowards? Do you have any other feelings besides disgust when you witness these events?"  
Jigen shook his head slowly. "Should I?"  
"Hmm. I want to return to this later, but first I want to know about the emotions you're going through with what happened to your father."  
Jigen shrugged. "Anger."  
"And?"  
Jigen was silent.  
"This is a private session, Jigen. Nobody besides us will hear this."  
Jigen looked back out the window and sighed. "I don't know. Guilt, I guess."  
"And why would you feel guilty for what happened?"  
Jigen shrugged. "I couldn't really do anything. And the guy was dead, so I couldn't get back at him. I was just there."  
"So, you were helpless."  
Jigen shrugged.  
"What did you want to do to the man who shot your father?"  
"I wanted him to suffer. I mean, my dad was laying there with machines that were keeping him alive. And the asshole who put him there got off easy."  
The doctor nodded as she continued taking notes, pleased that Jigen was getting angry at the subject. "And how would you have made him suffer?"  
"I would have beat him until he was half dead. And then I would have just left him somewhere to slowly bleed to death."  
"But, your father is going to live, right?"  
"And?"  
"During the summer, how did you feel?"  
"You don't stick to a subject for long, do you?" Jigen asked with a straight face.  
The doctor showed a small hint of anger at his remark.  
"I felt normal, I guess."  
"You hate school, then?"  
"It's not really school. It's just the idiots I have to spend the day with. They're all pathetic." Jigen stood and walked to the window, looking out before wandering the room. "Can...can we just end this now?"  
"Only if you agree to come back next week."  
"I guess," he muttered with a shrug.  
"Friday at four sound all right?"  
Jigen nodded.  
"Good. I'll see you then." She smiled and stood, walking over to shake his hand and let him out.


	6. Chapter 6

I am quite certain this chapter is incomplete, but I'm putting it up anyway.

* * *

Chapter Six

Sunday came and went and soon it was Monday, the weekend going by faster than Jigen had wanted.  
He walked to his locker after his second class, mentally groaning when a grinning Lupin was leaning up next to his locker.  
"So?"  
"What?" Jigen asked with a straight face.  
"How'd your session go?" Lupin asked. "Are they going to commit you?"  
Jigen shrugged. "I don't know. I go back next week, so I guess we'll know then."  
Lupin's grin faded at how serious Jigen was taking all of this. "You're really going back or are you just kidding?"  
"I'm really going back."  
"Is the doctor hot or something?"  
"No, she just wants me to come back."  
Lupin glanced down and nodded slowly.  
"So, how'd your family fun time go?" Jigen asked.  
"Boring," Lupin sighed. "Everyone got too drunk to fight and I spent most of my time with my annoying cousin."  
"I slept all day Sunday," Jigen gloated, smiling at Lupin and walking off to his class.  
Lupin glared at Jigen before turning and walking off to class.

"Good morning, class," Mister Watts said as he walked in the door, everyone seated and giving him their full attention. "I hope you're all awake because I have an exciting assignment for you. Today we're doing an exploratory essay."  
The class groaned at this.  
"And since I know you can't wait, here's how it'll be," he continued. "You'll be paired up and everyday this week you will be wandering the school looking for what I will be giving you for your essay. Sound fun? Okay..."  
He started naming off names, going down the roll sheet and pairing people up.  
"Ishikawa, Jigen, you two will be writing on birds."  
Jigen and Goemon glanced at each other and then looked away, neither seeming too happy with the partnership.  
"All right," Mister Watts said, getting through the pairings. "Get with your partner and take an assignment sheet and get going. I better not hear of any behavioral problems from any of you and I do want you back here before the bell rings, so leave what you don't need behind."

Jigen lay in the grass, staring up at the sky while Goemon wrote down birds they had seen. 'Just my luck,' he thought, 'to get stuck with some freshman coward.'  
He glanced over at Goemon as he watched a bird in the distance and then went back to staring into the sky. "It's a red tailed hawk."  
"Huh?" Goemon looked over at Jigen.  
"The bird in the sky. It's a red tailed hawk. They're all over the place here."  
"Oh, uh, thank you." Goemon looked away and wrote it down.  
"I'll write the thing if you want to do all the research," Jigen said after a few minutes of silence.  
"I can manage."  
"Okay," Jigen shrugged. "Not really a solo project, but whatever." He sat up and got to his feet, wandering off.  
"I'd rather do this alone," Goemon mumbled. "I don't need help from someone like him." He glared off as the hawk screeched from above.

"When's the next game?" Lupin asked as he sat across from Jigen at lunch.  
"Friday," both Jigen and Fujiko said at the same time. The two only glared at each other.  
"You playing?" Lupin asked, too busy eating to see the conflict between the two.  
"Should be, if coach doesn't punish me for last week."  
"He'd be a dick if he did."  
"He's a pretty big dick."  
"And how would you know?" Fujiko asked as she smirked at Jigen.  
"Ha ha," Jigen said with a serious look on his face.  
"Wait, don't you have that appointment?" Lupin wondered.  
"At four until five," Jigen said. "The game doesn't start until seven."  
"Appointment?" Fujiko looked at Lupin to fill her in.  
"With a shrink," he said.  
"Damn it, Lupin! Why don't you go tell everyone?!"  
"A shrink, huh?" Fujiko grinned at Jigen. "I would have never guessed you'd have issues, Jigen."  
"Shut up," he muttered.  
"I see it isn't working that well," she scoffed.  
"Go to hell," Jigen said in anger as he stood and stomped off.  
"Right..." Fujiko's smirk faded as she watched him leave the cafeteria.

Jigen wandered the school, happening upon Nick and his friends as they taunted a small freshman, Nick's favorite target. Stopping, his hands balled into fists. He fought with himself, but lost, walking over towards Nick.  
Nick looked up as Jigen approached and smirked.  
That only made Jigen more angry, shoving the freshman out of his way and grabbing Nick, shoving him against the wall as his friends looked on. "You leave Lupin the fuck alone," he growled. "And if I ever catch you even looking at him I swear I'll rip your fucking head off!"  
Nick tried to play it cool, but his effort was lacking. He looked up for support, but found that his friends were nowhere to be seen.  
Jigen pulled him from the wall and threw him to the ground, standing over him, opening his mouth to say something else when he heard a cough from behind, turning and seeing Zenigata standing with his arms crossed over his chest, staring unamused at Jigen.  
"Come with me," he said. "Both of you."  
Jigen gave Nick one more angry stare before following Zenigata

Jigen waited outside the office while Zenigata spoke with Nick. He sat slouched in an uncomfortable plastic chair, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared off at the far wall.  
The door opened, an upset Nick walking out, his head lowered as he kept his eyes to the floor.  
Jigen stood and wandered in, taking a seat and staring down at the desk in front of him.  
"I'm giving you a days suspension," Zenigata said as he wrote up a slip. "And I'm making an appointment with the counselor."  
"That isn't necessary," Jigen said.  
"Oh?" Zenigata rolled his eyes up at Jigen, giving an annoyed look.  
"I'm already seeing someone about my "problems". I don't need to see anyone else."  
"I see." Zenigata finished writing and handed Jigen the paper. "I expect to see your behavior improved by Wednesday."  
"You're expecting a lot," Jigen muttered as he stood and left the office.

"Suspended?" Jigen's mom sighed as she stared down at the paper. "Violent behavior. Jigen..."  
"The guy was being a dick, mom. What was I supposed to do?"  
She sighed. "You were almost held back last year. Don't screw it up on your senior year, okay?"  
"That was because two of my teachers hated me last year. They failed everything I did until dad went down and talked with them."  
"And, so what is your problem this year? Or should I say these two weeks?"  
"It's boring. I have to take these stupid classes that don't interest me because the stupid administration won't let me take the classes I want to take."  
"And what classes interest you?"  
"Chemistry, archery, even the cooking class. The only thing I got that even interests me is music appreciation. It's like they're afraid I'm going to kill people or blow up the school or poison people or something."  
His mom grinned, walking up and hugging him. "Just make do with what you have, okay? I don't want you getting held back."  
"Sure, mom," he said as he stood, his arms at his sides as he was hugged.  
"Do you have any homework?"  
"Some."  
"Why don't you go to your room and do that while I work on dinner, okay?"  
Jigen nodded, his mom letting go of him and allowing him to escape to his room.

Lupin walked home, cursing under his breath as Jigen was his ride, not knowing about the suspension and thinking he just took off. He stopped and looked up, thunder booming overhead as the first drops of rain fell. "Great," he sighed.  
By the time he got home he was soaked, water dripping off his clothes. Lucky for him his parents weren't around to see this. Rushing to his room, he closed and locked his door, changing into dry clothes.  
Having the house to himself, he took advantage, making himself comfy in his dad's oversized leather chair and turning on the television, disappointed at the lack of any good porn and having to do with the usual daytime talk shows. One that caught his interest was titled "My Mom's a Midget Transvestite" and so he watched that, getting a good laugh every now and then.  
An hour later the front door opened and slammed shut, Lupin's dad walking in, mumbling something about the weather.  
"Hi, dad," Lupin said, his eyes staying on the tv.  
"Homework?" his dad asked as he loosened his tie.  
"Don't have any."  
"Start working on it before your mom gets home."  
"Fine," Lupin sighed, getting up and walking to his room.


	7. Chapter 7

I forgot I had this chapter pretty much done a week ago. xP Yay for forgetful minds... I love Lupin's dad. He's basically my usual rp character. xD

* * *

Chapter Seven

Lupin sat quietly at the table as he ate dinner, his moms absence hard to miss. "Um, dad? Where's...where's mom?"  
His dad sat in a silent anger, shooting a glare at Lupin before turning his eyes back down at his plate. "She's at her sisters," he barked.  
"Oh." Lupin stared at his plate and stirred his food around.  
"I hear your friends father is doing better."  
"He is?"  
"Yeah, he is." He gave him an annoyed look.  
"What? I didn't know," Lupin said, giving his dad the same look. "Jigen never wants to talk about it, so I never ask."  
"What's wrong with him, anyway? He's gotten to be so bitchy about everything."  
Lupin shrugged. "I don't know."  
"His parents need to get him some help."  
"Yeah," Lupin sighed, staring off.  
Lupin hated when his dad put down his friends and girlfriends, but he knew he wasn't in a place to argue. His dads life was a mess, but there was no way he was going to tell him that. He liked living, even if his life wasn't the most exciting thing in the world.  
Lupin didn't know much about his dad, except that he was gone a lot, slept around and was a horrible cook. And the few times when he was home weren't the most happiest times for Lupin or his mom.  
He wanted to be close to his dad, but he never knew how. And it always hurt him to know he would never know what it was like to have that close bond with his dad like so many other sons had.  
"We learned how to make crepes today," Lupin said out of the blue, half hoping his dad would have some sort of interest.  
"And? Does that make you proud knowing how to do a woman's job like cooking?"  
"I just thought...nevermind," he sighed. "I think I'll just go to bed now."  
"I'm leaving tomorrow morning," his dad said. "Call your mom when you wake up and tell her to get her ass home and do her job. The laundry's piling up and we're almost out of food."  
Lupin nodded slowly and continued to his room.

The next morning the air in the house seemed thinner and more calm. "He's gone," Lupin mumbled as he sat up in bed, regretting the fact that he was actually glad his dad was gone.  
He took a shower, got dressed and grabbed something quick to eat. Seeing his mom was still gone, he called her and left a message.  
His relationship with his mom wasn't any better. She was like his dad in the way that she flirted and slept around. But unlike his dad, she actually ignored him. And the few moments she did give him any attention, it was positive and loving.  
He left the house and started towards school, calling Jigen on the way.  
"Yeah," Jigen answered tiredly.  
"You sick or something?"  
"Or something," Jigen answered through a yawn. "Got suspended."  
"Already?" Lupin laughed. "Looks like we both lost that bet, huh?"  
"Yeah. Was caught shoving Nick. Zenigata always seems to be around when you don't want him to be."  
"Yeah," Lupin said. "When are you coming back?"  
"Tomorrow. If I feel like it."  
"You can't ditch me again," Lupin whined. "School is boring without you."  
"School is boring with me. Besides, I'm sure I'll be there tomorrow. My mom will make me go. Not like I can get out of it."  
"Then I'll see you tomorrow, right?"  
"Yeah," Jigen yawned. "Have fun at school while I sleep."  
"Dick," Lupin said as Jigen laughed. He shut off his phone and continued to school.

His classes seemed to fly by. Even Perlton's class went smoothly, except for the fact that Fujiko seemed upset over something, telling Lupin she'd talk to him about it later.  
"Well?" Lupin asked, later coming by way of lunch.  
Fujiko sat quietly next to him, her eyes watery as they stared down at the table. "Me and Peter had a big fight. I told him...I told him something and he got mad."  
"Something?"  
"Look, Lupin, this isn't really what I meant by 'later', okay?" More upset, she stood and walked off.  
Lupin looked around for Peter wanting to have a talk with him.  
Peter sat in his usual spot, surrounded by friends in the last table situated in the corner of the cafeteria. He stuffed his mouth and laughed with his friends.  
Seeing this angered Lupin, who stomped up to him. "Peter, can I talk with you for a second?"  
"Sure," Peter said, waiting for Lupin to say something.  
"Alone," Lupin said.  
"Oh, okay." Peter shoved the rest of his food in his mouth and downed his drink. "I'll see you guys later," he said to his friends as he walked off with Lupin.  
"What happened between you and Fujiko?" Lupin asked.  
"Oh, that," Peter said, getting angry and staring off in front of him.  
"Yes, that. What the hell happened?"  
"We broke up. Why do you care, anyway?"  
"I don't know," Lupin said sarcastically. "Maybe because she's my friend. And maybe because she's upset and told me you're the cause of it."  
"I'm the cause of it? Yeah, right. Like the bitch had nothing to do with it."  
Lupin tensed with anger.  
"Look, I'm done with her, okay? So why don't you leave me out of her little drama."  
Lupin glared at him as he walked off. He decided to spend the rest of the lunch period walking off his anger.

"You don't know?" one of Fujiko's friends asked as she gathered her books together at the end of the school day.  
Fujiko only shook her head.  
"I'd go with Becky's plan, then," another girl said.  
"I...I can't do that to him," Fujiko sighed.  
"Come on, Fujiko," the first girl who spoke said. "He's kind of a dork, but he's rich, right? And he likes you, doesn't he? He's perfect."  
"Speaking of which, here he comes," the other said.  
The two girls then giggled and left.  
Fujiko closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. "Maybe they're right," she mumbled.  
"Hey, Fujiko," Lupin said, smiling at her as he approached. "You okay?"  
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." She looked up at him and gave a fake smile. "Oh, hey, would it be all right if I went to your house? I need help on that report."  
"Sure," Lupin said happily.  
"Great, I really appreciate this, Lupin." She smiled and gave him a quick kiss to the cheek, laughing as Lupin looked as if he were ready to melt.

"Mom, I'm home," Lupin called out when he walked in.  
The house was quiet, but clean, not how he had left it that morning.  
Fujiko followed him in, looking around at the interior. "So, where is your room?"  
"Upstairs, last door on the left," he told her. "Hey, you want a drink?"  
"Sure," she said as she started up the stairs.  
Lupin walked to the kitchen and started towards the fridge when he spotted a note on the counter.  
"Lupin," he muttered as he read it," I cleaned up and bought enough food for you to have for this week. I'm heading back to my sisters for the next few days. Stay out of trouble while I'm gone. Love, mom."  
He lowed the note and smiled. "The whole house to myself for a few days," he sighed happily, grabbing the drinks and running up to his room.  
"Did you find your mom?" Fujiko asked, sitting in a sexy pose on his bed.  
Lupin stared at her, his eyes slowly traveling up and down her body. "Uh, no, she's gone."  
"What about your dad?"  
"He left this morning."  
"So, you mean we have this whole house to ourselves?" she asked, smiling at him flirtingly.  
"Yeah," he said with a goofy laugh and grin. He sat down next to her and handed her one of the cans he held.  
"Oh, could you get me a glass, Lupin? Please?"  
"Sure," he said, shooting to his feet and rushing out of his room.  
Fujiko stared down at his drink, an unsure look on her face. She reached in her purse and pulled out a small glass vial, a clear liquid inside. "I'm sorry, Lupin," she whispered, opening his drink and pouring some of the liquid in it.  
Lupin came back up with a glass with some ice in it and handed it to Fujiko.  
"Thank you," she said, taking it. "I opened your drink. Hope you don't mind."  
"No, I don't mind at all," he said, taking a long drink of it.  
"So," she said, running a finger up and down his arm. "What do you say we skip the homework and do something...a little more exciting."  
Lupin laughed, already getting excited.  
Fujiko smiled and pulled Lupin down to the bed, wrapping her arms around him as she kissed his neck.  
"Oh, Fujiko, that...feels...it..." His voice became quieter and weaker and soon he was passed out, falling on his back in bed.  
"Wow, that stuff works better than I thought," Fujiko commented as she stared down at Lupin.  
She got to work, pushing him into position and then removing his clothes, laying the blanket over him. Writing him a short note about enjoying their time together, she kissed the bottom, leaving it on his dresser. Gathering her things, she quickly left.


	8. Chapter 8

More drama and more unanswered things. xD Nine and ten should have things answered. Along with more drama and even way more out of characterness. :D Fun!

* * *

Chapter Eight

"You look happy," Jigen said as he arrived at his locker the next morning.  
Lupin only stood there with a stupid look on his face.  
"Oh my gosh, Lupin, what happened, I want to hear all about it," he said quickly in mock enthusiasm before groaning and rolling his eyes, continuing to grab books from his locker.  
Lupin let out a goofy laugh. "Guess who slept with Fujiko yesterday?"  
"Her boyfriend?"  
"No! Me, you idiot!"  
"Liar," Jigen scoffed.  
"I am not lying!" Lupin whined. "Look!" He pulled out the note Fujiko left him. "She started kissing me and then the next thing I know I'm waking up naked in bed," he gloated, puffing up in pride.  
Jigen read the note and laughed. "You don't even remember anything?"  
"Well...yeah! Of course I do! It was wonderful! The best sex I've ever had!"  
"Right... I'd say she was just pranking you." He handed the note back to Lupin. "I think you'd remember screwing someone like her, Lupin."  
Lupin snatched the note. "Fine, don't believe me! See if I care!"  
Jigen watched in disbelief as Lupin stomped off.

"So?" one of Fujiko's friends asked as they settled into their first class.  
Fujiko smiled proudly. "Everything is set."  
Her friend gasped in excitement. "He fell for it? That's great!"  
The teacher entered, everyone quieting down and paying attention.  
'Yeah, great,' Fujiko thought, her smile fading.

Fujiko had to deal with a flirty and clingy Lupin for the rest of the day, trying her best to deal with it.  
She found ways to kindly turn him down when he suggested more sex, using grade school excuses that Lupin surprisingly fell for.  
To keep him satisfied she'd kiss him, but that was as far as it went.

Jigen, sick of how airy Lupin was acting, dumped him for the day. He had enough problems dealing with Goemon on the shared assignment, Goemon still intent on doing the whole thing by himself.  
To keep from failing the assignment, Jigen decided to write a paper on two of the birds they saw, the last two on the list. He'd give it to Goemon the next day, knowing that he wouldn't get through the whole list by then.  
His whole school day was basically spent writing the paper, using the bird book he had picked up at the library and getting it done rather fast.  
With that out of the way he was able to fully concentrate on the plays he was given during practice, pulling everyone off perfectly.  
The day was going good from then on, everything seeming to go right. Even his coach didn't get on him for missing practice and the opening game.

Lupin did everything he could to get Fujiko to go home with him, but she refused and finally escaped him.  
And so, at the end of the day, he ended up walking home depressed and alone.  
He kept an eye on the clock, waiting for when Jigen's practice was over and calling him.  
"Yeah?" Jigen asked when he answered, as if the call was just a burden on his life.  
"Hello to you, too," Lupin muttered in anger.  
"Fujiko isn't around, so it's time to be my friend again, right?"  
"I was going to ask if you wanted to spend the night, but if you're just going to be a complete dick to me, then forget it."  
"Oh, so now I'm the dick," Jigen laughed. "You ignore me almost all fucking day and then you just expect me to act as if nothing happened."  
"I didn't ignore you," Lupin said in a raised voice. "You decided to be all pitiful and go off on your own."  
"Pitiful? No, Lupin. Pitiful is when you let some bitch fool you into thinking she slept with you. That's pitiful."  
"Fuck you."  
"Great response, Lupin. Look, if you're gonna let that bitch ruin our friendship, then fine. Because I'd be very happy right now not to have to deal with either of you."  
"She isn't the problem, Jigen! It's you! And if that's how you want to act, fine! I don't need you!"  
Jigen stared at the road in front of him as the other line went dead. "Fucking..." Too angry to even finish the statement, he tossed the phone on the passenger seat and sped home, his good day ending too quickly.  
He got home, getting out of the car and slamming the door shut, stomping to the front door and unlocking it, pushing it open and then slamming it shut.  
The house was quiet, a note on the small desk by the door telling him that his mom went to the hospital and that dinner was in the fridge.  
His mood lightened some when he opened the fridge and saw a tray of lasagna, getting a plate and tossing it in the microwave. He grabbed a couple of beers and grabbed his plate when it was done, taking everything to his room, where he locked himself away for the rest of the night.

Jigen sort of missed seeing Lupin standing by his locker when he got there the next day. Although at the same time he was glad he didn't have to deal with him.  
The two fought ever since they were friends, nothing really coming out of it.  
Jigen knew this time would be no different.

Lupin found himself alone and regretting what he had said to Jigen, as he was the only person in school he could really trust.  
Even Fujiko seemed to want nothing to do with Lupin, who did all he could to even get her to look at him.  
He spent lunch alone. He also had the rare feelings of not being hungry.  
'Whose fault was this?' he wondered as he stared down at the table. 'I'm always the one who apologizes, even when it doesn't seem like I should. But, then Jigen-'  
The faint sound of his phone ringing broke him from his thoughts. He reached in his pants pocket and grabbed it.  
"Hello?" he answered, not even bothering to see who was calling.  
The person on the other line talked for some time, Lupin seeming even more down the longer the call went on.  
"Yeah...I understand," he said in almost a whisper. He shut his phone off and stuck it back in his pocket, staring off for a few seconds before getting up and walking out of the cafeteria.

Jigen ate with some of his friends from the football team, all of them eating fast and then spending the rest of the time wandering around talking and joking.  
They walked by a building towards the back of the property, Jigen seeing Lupin sitting against it with his face in his arms.  
"I'll see you guys during practice," he told them, waving and then wandering slowly towards Lupin.  
He walked next to Lupin and leaned against the building, Lupin acting as if he didn't even notice him.  
"Hey," Jigen said as he sat down next to him. "Look, I'm sorry for what I said. I guess I should have been happy for you...or something. But, it's just that-"  
"Jigen," Lupin said, his voice muffled. "Shut up, okay?"  
"Huh?"  
Lupin raised his head and glared at him. "Your apologies are never apologies, just excuses for yourself. You say you're sorry, but then you keep talking and find a way to say it was never your fault to begin with. I don't even see why you bother."  
"Me neither," Jigen said in anger, standing and walking off.

School ended and Goemon made his usual walk home. Once he got to the tall bridge over the small river he stopped. Reaching in one of his books, he pulled out the paper that Jigen had given him during class.  
"You watch as I get beat," he said as he stared down at Jigen's name on the paper. "You stand there, like everyone else, doing nothing, as if it's just some show, as if I'm just some fool around for your entertainment."  
He tensed as his hands slowly crumpled the paper.  
"I don't need help from someone like you. I don't need help from anyone."  
Wadding the paper into a small tight ball, he dropped it into the water below.  
"I can take care of myself. I can deal with things on my own."  
Taking another look down at the water, Goemon sighed, a slight smile on his face as he returned to walking, for once feeling good about himself in his new home.


	9. Chapter 9

This. Chapter. Sucked. I finally got it written and if it doesn't quite make sense in parts, then it doesn't make sense. xD Had to rewrite almost half of it, as the story changed as I wrote and I had originally written the end of this first. I usually write small chunks of the story and then put them in random places and try to string them together. I don't know the meaning of the word 'order'.

Future chapters will be really interesting, as I have to figure out how to write four months in as few chapters as I can, since I don't want this to drag out. Four only because that's when Goemon's main storyline appears, which is the only reason I'm writing this, as I came up with the dumb idea one night and laughed.

* * *

Chapter Nine

Friday had finally come and most at school were more than happy for the break, Monday being a teacher conference day and a day off for students.  
The talk in the halls were mostly of parties and going out, yelling and laughing the only thing heard when entering.  
And in one particular hall, the only two not smiling were Jigen and Lupin.  
"Lupin," Jigen said as he walked up to him hesitantly.  
Lupin glanced up at him and then went back to grabbing books from his locker.  
"Look," Jigen sighed. "I've been an asshole lately and...I'm sorry."  
Lupin paused, waiting for him to say more. When nothing else followed, he looked up at Jigen and nodded.  
"You okay?" Jigen asked.  
Lupin nodded slowly, closing his locker and straightening out. "I'm fine. Well, I need to get to class." Bowing his head, he walked past Jigen and out the door.  
"Yeah," Jigen sighed, turning and walking towards the other end of the hall.

Classes had gone the same as they had all week for Jigen. He just did what he had to do in order to get through them.  
For Lupin, things were the same as the day before. He tried to talk to Fujiko, but all he got was a non-enthusiastic "hello".  
Lunch for the two was the usual, Jigen happy that he could eat without having to endure Fujiko's presence.  
It was then off to the last two classes, the final bell a relief for many.  
Jigen laughed with a friend as they walked together from their class, both having a locker in the same direction.  
"Jigen."  
Jigen looked over as Mister Watts stood just outside his classrooms door.  
"I need to see you for a second."  
"Sure," Jigen said, turning and saying bye to his friend before walking and following his teacher into the room. "Something wrong?" he wondered.  
Mister Watts walked to his desk, where he had ben grading papers, and picked up one of the reports. "This was a group project, Jigen."  
Jigen stared at the paper, unsure of what his teacher was trying to get at. "You told us that on Monday."  
"What did you contribute to the assignment?"  
"I wrote about the hawk and the raven, why?"  
"Hmm." Mister Watts flipped to the last two pages. "The red-tailed hawk, known in Latin as buteo jamaicensis, from the family Accipitridae, is the most common hawk in the continent of North America," he read, glancing up at Jigen. He closed the report and set it back on his desk. "That doesn't sound like something you'd write."  
"That's because I didn't write it," Jigen said in anger. "What I wrote I gave to Goemon yesterday to put it in with what he wrote."  
"Well, then I suggest you get it back from him and hand it in. Until then I have no choice but to give you an F for this week."  
"But, that's bullshit! It isn't my fault he didn't give it to you!"  
"I'm sorry, Jigen, but I have nothing to grade you on. Like I said, get back what you did and I'll change the grade."  
"That stupid piece of shit!" Jigen stormed out of the classroom, looking around for Goemon. Knowing he had a locker in the same hall, he headed there.  
"Hey," Lupin said as Jigen passed him, rushing to catch up. "What are you doing?" he wondered.  
Jigen didn't answer, his eyes locked onto Goemon, who stood at his locker.  
Goemon turned, seeing Jigen and glaring at him.  
Jigen reached out a hand and grabbed Goemon by his jacket, pushing him against the lockers. "Why didn't you turn in that paper I gave you?" he shouted. "Watts said he was failing me this week for not doing any work!"  
"Maybe you should have done the whole thing by yourself, then," Goemon muttered.  
"Son of a bitch! Give me the damn paper back and I'll turn it in myself!"  
"I don't have it."  
"Yeah? Well, then where the fuck is it?"  
"I threw it away," Goemon said with a smirk.  
Jigen tensed. Without thinking, he pulled his arm back and punched Goemon hard in the face. He then shoved him against the locker, pulling his hand back again.  
"Jigen, he's had enough," Lupin said as he grabbed Jigen's fist.  
"Enough? Enough?! I fucking failed because of this asshole, Lupin!"  
"You're making a scene," Lupin warned as he looked around, a crowd surrounding them and wanting to see more of a fight.  
Jigen looked around and then looked back at Goemon. "Fuck this," he muttered, tossing Goemon to the floor and walking away.  
Goemon only sat, the same smirk still present, as he watched Jigen leave the hall.  
"You should get some ice for that eye," Lupin told him before walking off after Jigen, not wanting to have to walk home again that week.  
"Lupin!" Fujiko called out, rushing up to him.  
"Fujiko," he said in shock, surprised she even got near him.  
"Hey," she smiled. "I was wondering if I could come over to your house tonight."  
"Sure," he said excitedly. "You can come over now if you want."  
"I have some errands to run, but I'll be over around seven. Is that fine?"  
"Yeah, that's great."  
"I'll see you, then," she said, kissing him on the cheek and running off.  
"That's perfect," he sighed, watching her leave. "Aw crap," he whined, snapping back to reality and realizing he'd probably have to walk home now.  
He dragged his feet through the parking lot, happily amazed to see Jigen leaning against his car.  
"Can you walk any slower?" he asked Lupin. "Jesus..."  
Lupin only grinned and picked up the pace, the two getting in the car and leaving the school.  
"You coming to the game tonight?" Jigen asked.  
"Aw man, that's tonight?" Lupin said, seeming genuinely disappointed. "What time?"  
"Seven. The games are usually Friday nights at seven."  
"I already have plans for tonight. I'll go next week, though. Seven, right?"  
"If you don't want to go, don't bother," Jigen said in slight anger. "Not like it matters. We'll probably lose again, anyway."  
Lupin looked down in discomfort.  
"I don't want to argue again, so I won't ask you what you're doing tonight," Jigen said. "What are you doing tomorrow?"  
"Some guy is coming over to drop something off for my dad, so I'm just staying home until the afternoon. You want to do something?"  
"Sure. I'll call you." He pulled over to the curb in front of Lupin's house.  
"I'll talk to you later, then," Lupin said, grabbing his backpack and getting out of the car. "Have fun with your hot shrink," he said with a grin.  
"Oh yeah," Jigen said with a laugh. "You know I will."  
Lupin waved as Jigen drove off. He turned towards his house, giving it one long stare before walking to the door.

Jigen parked in the lot of the office buildings, getting out of the car and slowly making his way to the front.  
Inside, he stayed on the first floor, zigzagging down halls until he reached the doctors office, entering the waiting room and taking a seat.  
"She'll be right with you," the receptionist said with a smile.  
Jigen nodded, staring off as he waited.  
Ten minutes later the door opened, Doctor Robinson leading a man out as she spoke with him.  
Jigen glanced up at the guy, who appeared to be a mental mess. 'At least I'm not him,' he thought, looking away.  
"Mister Jigen," she said, looking and smiling at him, "I take it you're ready?"  
'Mister?' he thought, giving her an odd look. "Yeah, I guess," he sighed, standing and walking into her office.  
They both took a seat, the session starting right away.  
"So, how have things been since we last talked?" Doctor Robinson asked, notebook in lap as she looked over her notes from their first session.  
Jigen shrugged and stared at the floor. "Mostly bad."  
"Anything you want to talk about?"  
"I don't know. I mean, I got suspended for fighting. Me and my friend got in a fight. I failed a class this week because some idiot didn't turn in my part of the report we were doing."  
"Did anything good happen?"  
"I get to start tonight," Jigen said with a slight smile.  
"So, I take it you still haven't seen your father."  
Jigen was silent as he stared off.  
"Is there a reason you're avoiding him?"  
Jigen shrugged.  
"Have...have you ever had any suicidal thoughts, Jigen?" she asked, giving a look of concern.  
Jigen laughed and rolled his eyes. "No. And no, I'm not on drugs and I haven't given up on life and I don't cut myself or write poetry about wanting to die."  
The doctor wrote down some notes.  
"I'm not ready," Jigen said out of the blue.  
"Not ready for what?"  
"To see my dad."  
"What are you waiting for?"  
"Certain thoughts to go away."  
"And these thoughts would be?"  
"I could have lost him," Jigen said in an almost whisper. "I just think about that and my mind goes off on how life would be if that would have happened and..."  
"Don't you think seeing him would make those thoughts go away? To let your mind know that he is still with you?"  
"I just..." He looked off to the side and laughed. "It's...it's just stupid, okay?"  
"What makes it so stupid?"  
"How much do you get paid to prod answers out of people?" he asked with a straight face.  
She gave him a serious look, one which said "Answer my question and do it now".  
"Fine," Jigen sighed. "I...I don't want to cry in front of him."  
"That's it? That's your reasoning?"  
"I told you it was stupid," he mumbled.  
"Everyone cries, Jigen. He won't love you any less if you cry."  
"He'll just taunt me. He always does. Like, when we're watching sports and the losing team cries, he laughs and ridicules them. Tells me what little bitches they are and how women shouldn't be allowed to play professional sports."  
The doctor rolled her eyes at this. "You don't think your father has ever cried? It's a natural human emotion. It doesn't make you any less of a man."  
Jigen remained silent.  
"Anger isn't a healthy replacement. Whatever you're feeling, you need to release it. Don't care what anyone else thinks. This is for you, not them."  
"Right," Jigen scoffed.  
The doctor wrote down some things.  
"Last week you said you feel disgust for ones who get bullied. How do you think they feel? Especially when ones like you don't help them?"  
"I was there once. Like I said, they need to stand up for themselves."  
"You said you got into a fight. What was it over?"  
"What does that have to do with anything?"  
"Was there any reason for it, or do you yourself just like pushing people around?"  
"Fucking bullshit," Jigen muttered as he stared down at the table in front of him.  
"Well?"  
"And you were so nice last week," Jigen said, looking at her in pity. "I was starting to like you."  
"I'm not here to be nice. I'm here to help you."  
"Really? Well, with how much I have improved, I thought you were here to bilk people out of their money on this whole talking about feelings shit."  
Doctor Robinson sat quietly as she glared at Jigen.  
"Do you actually have to go to school for this?" Jigen asked with a laugh. "Feelings 101. Prodding 1A. Get Rich Quick. How To Take Advantage of Others."  
"Are you finished?"  
"Do you actually sit there thinking you're helping people? Or do you sit there thinking of all the new things you're gonna buy this weekend? Because, honestly, your profession is a fraud. I can get more help from a brick wall than-"  
"That is enough!" Doctor Robinson said as she stood up. "I have helped many people with their personal problems that they couldn't get through themselves! You want to make fun of me? Fine. You want to make fun of how I do things? I don't care. But, when you start putting down what I and others in my field have done and all the hurdles we have gone over to make others lives better, that is where I draw the line!"  
Jigen stared at her, surprised she even had the ability to get that angry.  
"You can leave if you want to," she said as she walked up to him. "But, let me warn you, if you lift your ass from that seat, that doesn't mean you have seen the last of me." She stood in front of him and bent down, getting in his face as he slowly pulled his head back. "I told your mother that I would help you," she said in a low voice, her jaws almost to the point of clenching shut. "I don't give up on people, Jigen. Even seventeen year old pieces of shit like you. I'm a lot better than that. So, you can make this easier for yourself. Or you can make it harder. It's your choice."  
Jigen started to relax as she backed off. "Uh, I'm eighteen," he said, his voice lacking any of the cocky confidence it had before. "I was held back a year."  
"Hmm," was all she said as she sat back down, continuing to glare at him.  
"The guy had his friends beat the shit out of my best friend," Jigen said, finally answering the question that started the whole outburst. "I told him to leave him the fuck alone and pushed him around a little, not knowing the principle saw and heard all of it."  
"That wasn't so hard, was it?"  
"No," Jigen mumbled, still unsure about the doctor.  
"Okay," she said, returning to her normal self. "I'd say today went well."  
"We still have twenty minutes left, though."  
"That's fine. I'll add twenty minutes to next weeks session. There will be a session next Friday, right?"  
Jigen nodded slowly. "Sure...yeah..."  
"Good. I'll see you next week, then." She stood and smiled at him.  
"Yeah," Jigen said slowly, looking around nervously before standing.  
"Good luck with your game tonight."  
"Thanks," he said, now giving her a suspicious stare. A slight smile came to his face as he shook his head. Turning, he walked out the door, the doctor watching with a grin on her face.

"You're home late," Goemon's dad said. "What happened to your eye?"  
Goemon stopped and stared down, ashamed.  
"You get into a fight?" his dad asked, his voice getting angrier by the second.  
Goemon was still silent.  
"Go to your room!" His dad pointed towards the stairs as he glared at him.  
Goemon sighed, following his dads orders and heading slowly up the stairs.  
He got to his room and closed his door, slamming his books on the floor in anger and sitting on his bed, tears falling down his cheeks. His eyes noticed a blue colored paper sticking out of one of his books, a paper that was handed to him by a random student, sticking it in his book and ignoring it.  
He bent down and grabbed the corner, pulling it out of the book and sitting back on his bed. Wiping the tears from his eyes, a slight smile formed on his lips as he read the information on the paper.  
"The day before the holiday break?" he said to himself. "That'll give me plenty of time." Pleased, he started writing down some ideas.

"Lupin," Fujiko sighed, the two sitting together in the dark living room of Lupin's house, the light of the TV flickering in their faces.  
"Hmm?" He sat comfortably, holding Fujiko as she had her head laying on his chest.  
"I...I can't do this anymore," she said, almost in tears. "I can't do this to you."  
Lupin looked at her in confusion as she sat up.  
"You're nice and everything, but..."  
"You're...breaking up with me, right?" Lupin sighed, looking off sadly.  
"No. I mean..." She sighed, telling herself to just spit it out. "We never slept together. I put a drug in your drink and made it seem like we had sex, but we never did."  
"What?" Lupin asked in annoyance.  
"Lupin, I'm-"  
"Why the hell would you do that, Fujiko? Is this some kind of joke I'm supposed to be laughing at right now? Because if it is, I'm not laughing. I'm not even mildly amused."  
"Please, just listen to-"  
"I don't think I want to listen." Lupin glared at her and then stood. "I think I want you to get your shit and get the hell-"  
"I'm pregnant, okay?" she almost yelled as tears fell down her cheeks.  
Lupin froze and slowly turned his head towards her. "Huh?"  
"It wasn't even my idea. Becky said to do it. And then in a month I was supposed to tell you I was pregnant and that the baby was yours. But...but...I can't do this to you!" She put her face into her hands and cried.  
Lupin approached her, sitting down on the couch and wrapping his arms around her.  
Everything he heard angered him, but he couldn't bring himself to yell at her anymore. As much as he wanted to hate her for what she had done, he couldn't. The only thing he could do was hold her, comfort her, be with her when he knew she needed him.  
"I'm sorry," she whispered into his chest.  
Lupin said nothing. He only held her, the two embracing until they both fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Total out of character-ness! Yay! xD Thought I'd give Jigen some story depth or whatever to add to the drama. Although I would have taken this storyline bit of drama rather than the lame "i r kan no shotted witout mai hat lawlz!1!one" Hey, let's give everyone a weakness and give Jigen the lamest weakness of all of them. Yeah, great idea. They should have left it at "he can't shoot worth crap with his left hand" since that's more believable. But, that's just me. Hopefully there aren't many mistakes here. Once again I'm too lazy to reread this to check. xP

* * *

Chapter Ten

Jigen moaned as he started to wake up after hearing several knocks on the front door. He lifted his head, wincing from the morning light. "Mom. Mom! Someone's at the door!"  
He lowered his head, annoyed when the knocking continued.  
"Fuck," he mumbled, getting out of bed and stumbling towards the front door.  
"Ow, fuck!" he blurted out as he stubbed his toe on the coffee table. "Who the fuck moved the damn table?!" he yelled, not yet realizing he was the only one home.  
"Hold the fuck on!" he yelled as he made his way to the door, yanking it open and glaring at Doctor Robinson, who glared back at him.  
"Good morning to you, too, Jigen," she said sarcastically.  
"Sorry," Jigen said in a low voice as he looked down, embarrassed.  
"I take it you're the only one here."  
"Looks that way."  
"Get dressed," she told him.  
"Why?" he asked, annoyed.  
"We're going to resume our session."  
"Today?"  
"Today."  
"Fine," Jigen muttered. "Come in, relax, help yourself to the fridge."  
She glanced at him, amazed by his total lack of manners.  
"I'll be out in a few minutes," he said, turning and leaving her as he walked to his room.  
The doctor sighed, knowing she had a lot more work to do.  
Ten minutes later Jigen came out of his room, wearing a simple outfit of blue jeans, a gray t-shirt, sneakers and a baseball hat.  
"Are you ready?" she asked, still standing by the front door.  
"You driving?"  
"Yeah, why?"  
"Can we get something to eat on the way to your office?"  
"I'm choosing where we eat."  
"Fine."  
The two left the house and started for the car, both getting in, Doctor Robinson starting it and driving off, towards the freeway.  
They stopped at a small diner along the way, walking in and getting seated.  
As they looked over the menu, Jigen started to laugh. "Hey," he said, lowering the menu, "what you did yesterday, for a woman you have a lot of balls."  
She stared off in confusion. "Thank you? I think..."  
"I mean, my dad yells at me, but I know he's full of crap. With you, I know you're not fucking around. And if you are, you hide it well."  
"I usually don't, as you put it, fuck around, Jigen."  
"You're not that bad, you know? I'm sorry for what I said yesterday."  
"Jigen," she sighed, staring down at the cup of coffee in front of her, "I am that bad. I'm ruthless and do what I think is right for my clients. I go beyond sitting in an office and talking with people. I push people, I lie to people, I ignore their mental well-being."  
"Is that why you're taking me out for breakfast? You're pushing me to eat?" He grinned at her as the waitress came.  
"You do seem too thin, but no, that's not why we're here." She looked up at the waitress, now standing at their table, taking both orders and walking off.  
"So, we're not going to your office?"  
"No," she said, the word followed by a long sigh. "We're going to the hospital."  
"Damn it," he sighed in anger as he sat back in the seat, crossing his arms over his chest.  
"Look, Jigen, you've put it off all this time and I think that you-"  
"Yeah, you think! But, you're wrong!"  
"I think this will help you," she said, continuing her thought.  
"How the hell do you know that? I've been this way long before my dad was shot! Did my mom tell you that? Did she tell you about all the schools I've been to? And about all the fights I've been in? You didn't know anything about that, did you?"  
"No, I didn't," she said as she slowly bowed her head.  
"I already told you why I didn't want to go to the hospital. If I go, my dad will just see me as some sort of pussy. And do you know why? Because I'll show some level of affection towards him."  
Both became silent as the waiter came, placing their plates of food in front of them, asking them if they needed anything before leaving.  
"I call my dad," Jigen said. "It's easier for me. It's easier to have a casual conversation with him over the phone about school and sports."  
"When did you last call him?"  
"Last night. I told him about the game, about how we kicked the other teams ass. We had a good laugh over it."  
"How close are you and your dad?"  
"When it comes to drinking and sports we're close. Everything else, not so much." He took a bite of his food and looked up at her. "We still going to the hospital?"  
She looked up at him and shook her head slowly. "No. I'll take you back home when we're done eating."  
"Do...do you want to know why I'm like this?" he asked as he stared down at his plate.  
She had started to bring a fork full of food to her mouth, her hand stopping short of getting it to her lips and slowly lowering as she looked up at him.  
"We're still under our privacy thing, right?" he asked, still not looking at her.  
"Yeah, we are starting now," she said.  
"When I was seven I went to my uncles house," he began, his voice soft and emotionless. "I was there while my parents were going through some personal things. When it was time for me to go home, I asked him to take me to this amusement park that was on the way to where I lived at the time. He told me no, so I begged him. I whined and cried until he got pissed off and gave in. We had to go on this little highway to reach it. I was so happy. I remember bouncing in the seat, I was so excited. And then the next thing I know, I'm waking up in the hospital, my mom sobbing something about me being awake. Turns out some guy lost control of his truck and hit us. My uncle never made it."  
Doctor Robinson sat silent, an overwhelming sadness coming over her.  
Jigen looked off to the side and sighed. "He died because I wanted to go to that stupid park and I couldn't take no for an answer. My parents just thought he was taking a short cut. I've never told them the real reason. That he died because of me."  
"Jigen..."  
"I loved my uncle and because he was just trying to do something to shut me up..."  
"It wasn't your fault, Jigen."  
"I used to tell myself that, but I never believed it. Ever since then, whenever anything goes wrong with family or friends, I blame myself. Even if there was no possible way I could have prevented it, it's still my fault."  
He turned his head and looked at the doctor, a serious and almost hurt look on his face. "Do you think you can still help me?"  
She gave a sincere smile and nodded her head. "I never give up on my patients, Jigen."

Lupin lay, bored on the couch as he stared up at the ceiling. He rocked his head back and forth to the ticking of the grandfather clock in the next room.  
The sound of the doorbell made him freeze.  
"Finally," he sighed, getting to his feet and answering the door.  
"Hi there," a man in a dark suit said. "This is for your dad." He handed Lupin a large envelope and turned and left.  
Lupin closed the door, staring curiously at the envelope in his hand. Seeing it was sealed, he lost all interest in opening it, knowing that his dad would notice it was tampered with and begin his yelling fit.  
"One thing I don't need right now," he said as he walked to his dad's office, opening the door and tossing the envelope on his desk, closing the door behind him as he left.  
"Hopefully Jigen is still home," he said as he grabbed his keys, locked the door and left his house.

"Why did you open up to me?" Doctor Robinson asked as they were on the way to Jigen's house.  
Jigen stared out the window, taking a few seconds to answer. "I could tell that you're not some phony trying to take advantage of me. You made me realize that you're really trying to help and not just humoring me into thinking I'm cured by some kind of miracle. And... I wasn't helping you by holding everything in. Besides, I'm sick of living with all this guilt every day of my life."  
"I'm glad I was able to gain your trust. And I'm glad you opened up to me."  
"So, when do you want me to come in? Still Fridays at four?"  
"Are you open Mondays and Tuesdays?"  
"I have practice, but that usually ends before six."  
"How about Monday and Tuesday at six and Friday at four?"  
"And an occasional free breakfast for me on Saturday?" he asked with a grin.  
She pulled up in front of his house, looking over at him and grinning. "We'll see."  
"Can't blame me for trying," he shrugged.  
"I'll see you on Monday," she said as he left the car, both waving to each other before she drove off.  
"Was that Doctor Robinson?" Jigen's mom asked as he walking through the front door.  
"Yeah. She took me out for breakfast."  
"Well, that was nice of her."  
"Yeah, I guess," he said, trying not to act appreciative.  
"Oh, your friend Lupin came over. I told him you'd probably be back soon, so to wait for you in your room."  
"Okay," he said as he headed that way.  
"Took you long enough," Lupin said, laying on his back on Jigen's bed, his hands holding a portable game system up in front of his face.  
"Yeah, that shrink wanted to talk to me about crap."  
"Ooh, Jigen's little girlfriend," Lupin teased, looking over at him and laughing.  
"That stuff come for your dad already?"  
"Yeah. The stupid envelope was sealed shut, so I wasn't able to read anything."  
"Is it that interesting?" Jigen laughed, pulling out the chair from his desk and sitting backwards in it, his arms draped loosely over the back.  
Lupin shut the game off and set it next to him. "Yeah," he sighed. "To me it is." He stared up at the ceiling and then turned his head towards Jigen. "My mom is filing for divorce. And those were the papers from her lawyer."  
"Divorce? Geez..."  
"Yeah, she called and told me about it Thursday, which is why I was so pissy. Told me that if dad wasn't back by Friday, to wait for the package and make sure he got it."  
"So, what's gonna happen with you whenever this is settled?"  
"Don't know. That's why I wanted to read the papers."  
"Oh." Jigen stared off, his thoughts fading as the realization of losing his best friend hit him.  
"Also, you were right. I never slept with Fujiko."  
"Did she tell you?" Jigen asked, not really in the mood to gloat about being right and knowing it wasn't the time for that.  
"Yeah, she told me more than I wanted to know, actually."  
"Anything you want to share?"  
"It was all a ploy to make me think I was the one who got her pregnant, but she likes me too much to lie to me."  
"Wait. Fujiko's pregnant?"  
"That's what she says. And oddly enough, I believe her."  
"Whose kid is it?"  
"She isn't sure. She knows it isn't Peter's or the guy she dated before him."  
"Wow," Jigen said in complete disbelief.  
"But...I told her that I'd help take care of it."  
"It isn't yours, though."  
"I know," Lupin sighed, "but I love her and...I just want to help her out."  
"As long as she appreciates what you're doing for her..."  
Lupin scoffed and shook his head. "I doubt it. She's too selfish."  
"Not selfish enough to tell you the truth. Doesn't mean I hate her any less, though."  
Lupin looked over at him and grinned. "I say we get out of here and do something. I need to get my mind off of this."  
"Yeah, sure."  
Both stood and left the house, seeking an escape from their personal lives, something that seemed to grow more complex with each passing day.


	11. Chapter 11

Goemon's part is small, since he has a bigger part towards the middle of the story. Jigen and Lupin always have the bigger parts since they are more funnerer to write. :D And, for me, easier... And I don't think it's chemistry I wanted, but it'll have to do because I can't think of the science class I'm looking for. And that's it, I guess. Just some goofy stuff leading into drama-ee stuff.

* * *

Chapter Eleven

"Goemon!"  
"Yes, father," Goemon said, leaving his room and standing at the top of the stairs, his father, all dressed up, standing at the bottom.  
"Your mother and I are going out for the night," he informed him. "You're expected to stay here until we get back. Is that understood?"  
"Yes, father," Goemon said, trying not to let his complete hatred of his father show through.  
"Good. We will return in a few hours."  
"Why return at all?" Goemon asked under his breath as his parents left.  
He sighed, walking back to his room and grabbing a piece of paper, some items written down on them. Waiting a few minutes for his parents to get out of the neighborhood, he left the house.

"We're in a hardware store why again?" Jigen wondered as he and Lupin wandered the aisles.  
"I need some stuff for woodshop," Lupin answered as he looked over a wide variety of glues.  
"What are you making this year?"  
"Can't say."  
"Code of silence in the Woodshopping Guild?" Jigen laughed.  
Lupin gave him an annoyed stare. "It's something for your birthday."  
"Aw, I love you, too," Jigen said sincerely as he hugged Lupin.  
"Get off," Lupin growled, pushing Jigen away.  
"What do I get this year? A set of monogrammed coasters?"  
"That's your gift for next year," Lupin grinned.  
"Now I won't be surprised," Jigen said sadly.  
"You should be happy with this gift," Lupin nodded. "As long as you don't try and see what I'm making."  
"I won't."  
"Promise?"  
"Yeah, sure," Jigen said with a shrug.  
Satisfied with the response, Lupin dropped the conversation, grabbing a bottle of glue and starting towards the tools section, where he grabbed some drill bits and sand paper.  
"I guess that's it," he thought out loud as he stared down at the items in his hand.  
Jigen said nothing, following Lupin to the front of the store, both standing in a long line.  
"I can make that," Lupin said as he pointed to one of the woodworking magazines, acting as though the so-called difficult project they were selling wasn't difficult at all.  
"An arbor?" Jigen asked, staring at the picture before laughing.  
"What?" Lupin asked in annoyance. "I could," he muttered.  
"You pick the arbor," Jigen laughed, "and right next to it is a picture of a fucking cabin. Way to aim high, Lupin."  
Lupin looked at the magazine and then glared at a still laughing Jigen. "Th-that's what I was pointing at," he said, trying to be confident about it. "Shut up," he growled, turning his back on Jigen as he glanced around the store.  
He started to notice the others in line around him, seeing someone familiar three aisles down.  
"Your friend's here," Lupin teased seriously.  
"I don't have friends," Jigen answered as he flipped through a magazine.  
"Aww, I thought he was special to you."  
"Who are you-" Jigen looked up and saw Goemon. "Oh, that dumbass," he said, looking back down at the magazine.  
"Hmm...he's got some pipes, a box of something, some wire, another box of something and a box of nails," Lupin observed.  
"And?"  
"Don't you make pipe bombs with that stuff?"  
"Yeah, right," Jigen laughed. "Mister straight A student is a fucking bomb fanatic."  
Lupin laughed. "I thought you'd like that."  
"Pipe bombs," Jigen laughed as he shook his head. "I'll just have you open my locker from now on."  
"I'll buy you a bomb sniffing dog and you'll be fine."  
"But, I'm scared," Jigen whined, both then bursting into laughter.  
"You want to go to my house so I can drop this stuff off?" Lupin said as his items were rung up. "And then I say we go to that game place and shoot some pool."  
"Sounds fine by me. Hope you brought some extra cash."  
"Didn't we get thrown out the last time we played for money?"  
"Did we?" Jigen wondered. "I thought it was because we were both drunk."  
"Maybe it was both," Lupin shrugged, taking his change and items and walking towards the exit.  
"Yeah, that night is little fuzzy," Jigen said as he grabbed his keys from his pocket.  
"Yeah, well, let's wait until after we leave to get drunk this time, okay?" Lupin grinned.  
"Loser buys," Jigen said as both got into the car.

Goemon got back to his house after taking a long walk back from the hardware store. He was happy to see his parents still gone, having free reign of the large house.  
And even though he did, he still felt constrained, afraid to wander in his own home.  
Standing still in the foyer for a few minutes, he sighed and bowed his head as he slowly made his way up the stairs to his room.  
He tossed the plastic bags he held on his bed, mumbling something about his childish chemistry project and telling himself he'd do it the next day.  
Content with his decision, he grabbed a notebook on his desk and walked to his bed, pushing the bags out of the way and laying down. Pen in hand, he began to write, finding it one of the few things that calmed him when he was too stressed to meditate.  
Writing what was on his mind, his body began to calm until he was drifting into sleep.

The night started out well for Jigen and Lupin, mostly for Jigen as he was all ready up three hundred dollars over Lupin.  
"Do you have enough to buy me another soda?" Jigen joked.  
Lupin gave an annoyed look, turning to get him another drink when he ran into a taller and much larger man.  
"Watch it, ya little piss," the man spat out in a drunken slur.  
"I'm sorry," Lupin said, wanting to leave it at that as he started around the man, who blocked his path. "Look, I don't want any trouble, okay. I should have watched where I was going and I'm sorry."  
"Is the little fucker scared?" the man said with an evil grin.  
Jigen had been watching this and, seeing the man wasn't about to forgive and forget, he approached him. "He said he was sorry. Now get your drunk ass out of his way."  
"Who the fuck are you?" the man spat.  
"I'm the one who's going to fuck you up if you don't leave him alone," Jigen said as he stood up to the man.  
The man scoffed and took a step towards Jigen. He had a foot and one hundred pounds over his oppenent. "Ya got some balls, you know that?"  
"Yeah," Jigen said, grabbing a pool cue and smashing it over the man's shoulder.  
The man winced in pain, but that was it, looking up at Jigen with a wild look on his face, his breathing heavy and his teeth showing as he growled lowly.  
"Hey!" Lupin yelled, getting the man to look his way and then hitting him with a continuous stream of billiard balls.  
By that time the owner had called the police, deciding to stay out of the fight and let the cops deal with it.  
Jigen saw him on the phone and grabbed another pool cue, this time hitting the man right in the back of the head as he lunged towards Lupin.  
Lupin jumped onto one of the tables, the man dizzy from the hit and stumbling to the floor.  
"Lupin, let's go," Jigen said, tossing the now broken cue to the floor and running out, Lupin right behind him as the owner yelled at them.  
They practically dove into the car, Jigen then tearing out of the parking lot and speeding away.  
Once they realized they were free, they began relaxing some, looking over at each other and laughing.  
"What the hell was with that guy?" Lupin wondered as he laughed.  
"Forget him. What was with you? You acted like you wanted to fight him for a second."  
"He could have killed you," Lupin said in a serious voice. "I just...I don't know. I just reacted, I guess."  
"Yeah, well, thanks," Jigen said with a smile. "I probably shouldn't have gotten so pissed off about it. I could have gotten you killed..." His words and smile faded as he stared off at the road in front of him.  
Lupin looked at him in worry, but decided not to ask, figuring it was something he wasn't really supposed to know or understand. "So, I'm still buying, right?" he asked to lighten the mood.  
Jigen looked over at him and grinned. "I think I took all your money, didn't I?"  
"I still have a twenty," Lupin said as he held it up.  
"I say we just go back to my house and drink what's there. We can get drunk and watch some porn or something."  
"Sounds good to me," Lupin laughed.  
The two arrived at the darkened house, Jigen's mom fast asleep.  
"We have to be quiet," Jigen whispered to Lupin before making his way to the kitchen, grabbing some cold leftovers and a few beers.  
The two made themselves comfortable in the living room, eating, drinking and watching TV until both fell asleep.  
Jigen stirred hours later, hearing his mom in the kitchen, his eyes squinted from the brightness that filled the house. He looked around, seeing he fell asleep on the couch, Lupin snoring on the floor nearby.  
"You boys need to get up," Jigen's mom said as she walked out of the kitchen and to the garage.  
"What time is it?" Jigen mumbled.  
"It's almost one," she said before closing the garage door.  
"Hey," Jigen said, nudging Lupin with his foot. "Wake up."  
Lupin groaned, trying to ignore the nudging, but unable to. "Stop it!" he growled, reaching back and shoving Jigen's foot away.  
"Get up and I will," Jigen said, sitting up and yawning.  
Lupin sat up and stretched. "We drank all these beers?" he wondered, looking around at the empty cans on the floor.  
"I think you drank most of them," Jigen said, "which means you get to clean them up." He grinned as he got to his feet, on his way to the bathroom when a knock came at the door.  
"Expecting someone?" Lupin asked as he looked towards the door.  
"Oh shit," Jigen said in an almost whisper, spotting a patrol car out of the kitchen window. "It's a fucking cop."  
"What?" Lupin said as he jumped to his feet.  
"Grab the fucking cans," Jigen said as he ran over to get some, both grabbing them all and dumping them in the trash. He ran to the bathroom and grabbed some mouthwash, chugging it and then handing the bottle to Lupin, who took some.  
Both ran back to the bathroom to spit it out when another knock came, Jigen's mom coming back inside the house, sighing in exasperation when neither were there to answer the door.  
She walked over and opened the door, staring in confusion at the male cop who stood there.  
"Misses Jigen?" the officer asked.  
"Yes? What can I do for you?"  
"Is your son home?"  
"Well, yeah, but...is there something wrong?"  
"I just need to speak with him for a moment."  
"Yeah, hold on." She turned to call his name when she saw him. "A cop is here to see you," she said, almost as if questioning it.  
"What's he want?" Jigen asked, acting dumb about the whole thing.  
"Daisuke Jigen?" the cop asked when Jigen walked to the door, Jigen nodding. "We received a complaint last night at Smith's Gaming Parlor. The worker said you were there and started a fight, causing some damage to the store's property."  
"I thought I told you to stay away from that place," Jigen's mom said as she glared at her son.  
"We didn't start the fight," Jigen said as he glared at the cop.  
"You're lucky the man didn't press charges," the cop said as he started to write up a ticket. "You still broke the law, though, so this..." he signed his name and tore the ticket from the book, "...is yours. You will also be receiving a bill from the parlor for damages caused. I'll be seeing you again if you choose not to pay it."  
Jigen took the ticket from the cop and stared down at it.  
"You all have a good day now," the cop said, tipping his hat and walking back to his car.  
"You got into a fight?" Jigen's mom asked, taking the ticket from Jigen's hands. "Three hundred and fifty dollars?! How are we supposed to pay for this?"  
Jigen stared at the floor and shrugged.  
"It's bad enough you do this crap at school, but now you're doing out in public businesses?"  
"Mom, it wasn't my fault."  
"If it wasn't your fault, then why did you get a ticket? Disturbing the peace, running from the scene, damaging property?"  
"Jigen didn't do anything-"  
"Shut up, Lupin," Jigen said, stopping him from saying anything else.  
"I think your friend should go home," Jigen's mom said.  
"Can I give him a ride. at least?" Jigen asked.  
"I can walk," Lupin said with a nervous smile. "I'll be fine. I'll see you tomorrow." He walked to the door and waved at Jigen before leaving.  
"I can't believe this," Jigen's mom sighed, a headache starting.  
"Why not? You're the one who said I needed a shrink," Jigen scoffed. "Besides, none of this was my fault. If you'd only listen to my side of this then-"  
"I want you to go to your room," Jigen's mom said in anger as she pointed towards the hall.  
"But, mom-"  
"Now! And tomorrow I want you home right after school."  
"I have an appointment with that shrink tomorrow."  
"Oh? Since when?"  
"Since I agreed to show up. She said that-"  
"I make the appointments, not you! I'm calling her tomorrow to tell her you're only showing up on Fridays."  
"She said I needed it, though," Jigen said in an angry whine. "I thought you wanted me to get help?"  
"Go to your room," his mom said as she gave him her "do it now or else" look.  
"This is bullshit," Jigen said as he stomped off. "The guy was fucking drunk off his ass and started fighting us!" he yelled from the hall. "Why isn't he being blamed?!" He entered his room and slammed his door shut.  
Jigen's mom sighed, not knowing what else to do. She took another look at the ticket and groaned.


	12. Chapter 12

Okay, I forgot Goemon already has a science class, but I guess this works or something. I quickly wrote most of this during the last hour so if it's weird, it's because I'm half asleep. I have this invisible splinter in my finger and it hurts. Stupid plants...this calls for an ice age so all the plants will die. Mwahaha...ha... -falls asleep-

* * *

Chapter Twelve

Jigen said nothing to his mother after waking up, skipping breakfast and leaving the house, getting in his car and speeding towards school. On the way he saw Lupin and Fujiko walking together, pulling over to offer Lupin a ride, but getting stuck with Fujiko as well.  
"So," Lupin said as he looked around, "anything interesting happen after I left?"  
"You mean, after you ditched me?" Jigen corrected, still angry over his unfair punishment.  
"Your mom said I should go home, so I did. How is that ditching you?"  
Jigen mumbled something under his breath.  
"What happened?" Fujiko wondered, looking at Lupin as she didn't expect an answer from Jigen.  
"We got in a fight at some place and Jigen got in trouble over it," Lupin answered, staring at Jigen for the full details.  
"I got grounded," Jigen scoffed. "Can you fucking believe that? For something that wasn't even my fault."  
"You should at least let me pay for the ticket," Lupin offered. "I'm half to blame."  
"If you want," Jigen sighed. "I don't really care."  
"How long are you grounded for?" Lupin asked.  
"Probably all week. My mom even cancelled my Monday and Wednesday appointments with Doctor Robinson."  
"So, your time with the shrink shrunk, huh?" Lupin joked, looking away in discomfort when Jigen glared at him.  
"I'm not in the mood, okay?" Jigen said in anger as he pulled into the school parking lot. "I never even got that stupid report done for Mister Watts' class."  
"The one the Mad Bomber screwed you on?" Lupin wondered.  
"Mad Bomber?" Fujiko wondered with a slight laugh.  
"Yeah, that Goemon guy," Lupin said with a grin. "We went to the hardware store and saw him with pipes and some nails and stuff, so I joked about it being bomb making material."  
Fujiko grinned and laughed in a "Oh, you're so stupid" type of way. "It's for our project," she explained.  
"'Our' project?"  
"Yeah," she said, giving Lupin an odd look. "Our project. For history. We have to mix things to make them react in a helpful way for some dumb inventions thing. We got stuck with the lame battery project." She rolled her eyes as she made a slight 'ugh' sound. "He said he'd do all the work and let me take my fifty percent credit for it. He's so sweet."  
"Yeah, he's wonderful," Jigen muttered as he parked and turned the car off.  
"Well, I'm not surprised he doesn't like you," she scoffed, again rolling her eyes. "You don't really open up to people much."  
Jigen said nothing, not even looking at her as he stepped from the car, grabbing his backpack from the back seat and walking away.  
Lupin watched as he left, turning to Fujiko and shrugging before both followed.

"So, what's really his problem?" Fujiko asked as she and Lupin sat in the school bleachers and watched Jigen and the rest of the team practice.  
Neither one wanting to walk home and both lacking rides, they decided to suffer through the after school practice and hope that Jigen would be kind enough to get them home.  
Lupin shrugged. "He doesn't really talk about it. And it seems rather obvious if I bring it up, so I just stay out of it."  
"When was the last time he got laid?" Fujiko laughed.  
Lupin grinned as he leaned back. "He doesn't talk about his sex life, either. I don't think he really has one, though, to be honest."  
"Well, then, that's his problem right there."  
"Maybe," Lupin said as he eyed Fujiko. "Hey, were you serious about the whole pregnant thing?"  
"Why would I lie about that, Lupin?" she said as she glared at him.  
"Sorry," he sighed. "I just...I just want to make sure."  
"I guess I can't blame you for doubting me," she said as she stared off. "It isn't like I've never lied to you."  
"Yeah," Lupin said with a slight laugh. "You know...after this year I probably won't be living here anymore."  
Fujiko looked over at him, not saying anything.  
"My parents are getting a divorce. I'm sure I'll be moving somewhere with one of them."  
"I'm sorry, Lupin," Fujiko said as she placed a hand on his. "I'll miss you," she said, forcing a smile to her saddened expression.  
"I'd rather not live with either, but I'm sure there will be this huge fight over custody and shit and-"  
"Lupin."  
"Hmm?"  
The two stared at each other, Fujiko shifting closer to him as she slowly moved forward, bringing her lips to his.  
Lupin was shocked at first, but was soon kissing her back, their arms wrapping around each other as the kiss got more romantic.

The two made out for the next twenty minutes, separating only when Jigen approached them, saying that if they wanted a ride then they should leave with him or get left.  
Lupin didn't seem too happy, but he didn't want to walk home, so he did as Jigen said.  
He sat in the back seat with Fujiko, the two flirting and kissing until Jigen stopped in front of her house.  
"Jigen," Lupin sighed happily as he watched Fujiko enter her house. "Why are you so miserable?"  
Jigen gave Lupin a confused look as he stared at him in the rear view mirror. "Because I am."  
"No," Lupin whined. "Tell me, please? I could be your shrink for the day. Just let go of all your thoughts and feelings."  
"My life is more than just something for you to joke about, Lupin."  
Lupin only sighed, keeping quiet for the rest of the trip.  
Jigen pulled into the driveway of Lupin's house and stopped. "I killed someone," Jigen said as Lupin was stepping out of the car. "Now leave me the fuck alone about it, okay?"  
Lupin stood in shock, closing the car door and staring dumbstruck as Jigen drove off. Thinking it was some sort of joke, something to get him to shut up, Lupin finally laughed. "Fucking idiot," he muttered, shaking his head as he walked up to the front door.  
Jigen arrived home minutes after dropping Lupin off. He pulled up to the curb, shutting off the car and taking a minute to enjoy his waning freedom before stepping out and walking to the house.  
Head down, he opened the front door and closed it, the door shutting as he made his way to his room.  
"Not even gonna say hello?"  
Jigen stopped, looking up and turning around. "Dad," he said in shock, his dad laying on the couch. "You-you're back."  
"Yeah, I'm back," his dad said in an angry sarcastic way. "Thought I could just lay down and relax at home, getting peace and quiet and nice meals. Then I no longer get to the couch when your mother lays all this shit on me."  
Jigen stared down at the floor, not wanting to listen to his dad yell and scream at him, but knowing that walking away would make it worse.  
"Fighting, suspensions, failing classes?" his dad said. "Oh, but the topper, the best part of this whole shitfest, a ticket and a nice size bill for destroyed property."  
"The bill came already?" Jigen asked, curious as to how much it was.  
"The bill came already? That's all you have to say?" He dad scoffed and stared off in anger. "What the hell kind of son are you to put your parents through all this shit?"  
"What?" Jigen asked, confused and upset.  
"Three fifty and an extra five grand on top of that? Well, I hope your night was worth that much."  
"Five thousand?! For two broken pool sticks?!" Jigen walked over and grabbed the bill from the table by the couch.  
"Don't shit me, son," his dad yelled. "The bill has a lot more than just two broken sticks!"  
"But, dad..." Jigen pleaded as he looked over the long list. "We didn't do any of this stuff. We didn't do anything to the tables or anything like that."  
"Fine, if you want to lie about it, then they can arrest you, cuz I'm not paying. I got enough problems with these damn hospital bills coming in."  
"Damn it, dad, I-"  
"And another thing," his dad interrupted. "Where the hell is all my beer? You enjoy yourself drinking all my fucking beer? I sit in the hospital all those days, you don't even have the balls to come see me, then I come home to no beer! What the fuck is this, Daisuke?!"  
"I'll get you some more," Jigen muttered.  
"How? You're not old enough to buy? Don't tell me you got a fake ID!"  
"I get a friend to buy it for me. And yes, he's legal."  
"Well, isn't that nice. I'm glad to see you got yourself some nice role models for friends."  
"Yeah," Jigen sighed. "And I'm glad..."  
"Glad what?" his dad spat.  
"I'm glad you're back home," Jigen muttered before turning and walking to his room.

"Your dad is back home?" Lupin asked Jigen as both walked to school the next morning.  
"Mmhmm."  
"And he took your keys?"  
Jigen nodded in response.  
"Why?" Lupin wondered.  
"Said he's gonna sell my car to help pay off some of the bills."  
"But, he can't do that. Besides, he's not going to get much for it anyway, so why is he bothering."  
"It's his old car, so let him do whatever the fuck he wants," Jigen said in anger as he stomped off ahead of Lupin, who jogged to catch up. "The bill from the game place came yesterday."  
"And?" Lupin asked.  
"They fucked me over," Jigen sighed. "Put a bunch of shit on there we weren't responsible for."  
"How much shit?" Lupin asked, afraid to hear the answer.  
"Five thousand worth."  
"Five-?! But...we barely did anything!"  
"Yeah, but we don't have any proof. All we have are fucking pricks who want to see us suffer."  
"Bomb Maker!" Lupin said as he snapped his fingers. "He'll take care of everything for us!"  
"He doesn't make fucking bombs, Lupin! Take something serious for once in your fucking life!"  
Lupin stopped and watched Jigen walk off. He sighed and shook his head. "Fujiko was right," he said in a low voice. "He does need to get laid. God, I need to get laid. Screw Jigen's needs..."  
Jigen now several yards ahead, Lupin slowly continued on, not even bothering to catch up this time.


	13. Chapter 13

Heh. I'm not good at keeping my stories straight. They were supposed to get Monday off, which would have been the whole beginning of the last chapter. xD Oops...  
This chapter isn't the best constructed thing I've written and it may have some things that don't match with previous chapters, but here it is.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

Goemon had woken up at the same early hour as he did everyday. His room still dark, he sat cross-legged on his bed, closing his eyes as he fell into a deep mediation.  
His alarm, which he set for seven, snapped him out of his peaceful trance, which seemed to get less peaceful as the days went on.  
Shutting off his alarm, he grabbed fresh clothes from his dresser and walked the short distance to his bathroom, where he took a short luke warm shower.  
Breakfast was usually the same, a bowl of warm soup and some hot tea. Finished with his meal, he grabbed his books and left the house, taking the out-of-the-way route he had discovered after getting lost on his first day.  
It took him ten minutes longer, but it was quiet and the scenery was nice. He could feel at peace before he walked into his version of hell.

School had been unforgiving since the first day. Goemon was different than almost all of the other students. He stuck out, making him a perfect target.  
As he made his way into the hall and towards his locker he couldn't help but notice the quiet laughter and whispers as he passed other students.  
"Here comes the freak," a female student muttered to her friends as he approached them, the girls then laughing as he walked by.  
Goemon glanced at the girls as they walked away. His mood sank as he bowed his head, his feet now shuffling on the tile floor as he continued on to his locker.  
He raised his head slowly and turned the knob, entering the combination and pulling up the small metal handle.  
Putting away what books he didn't need and taking those he did, he closed his locker and turned to walk towards his first class, only getting a few feet when he was forced to stop.  
"Hey, if it isn't my buddy," said the large and dumb senior who had seemed to find a thrill in crushing Goemon's spirit.  
Goemon said nothing as he was shoved against the lockers.  
"I don't even get a hello?" the senior asked as he forced his large fist into Goemon's stomach, causing him to kneel down in pain. "Say hello the next time you see me, friend," the senior smirked as he walked off.

Goemon's first class was English Literature. His teacher was a middle aged man with a slight latin accent and a short temper. Every day seemed to have a shouting match between he and one of the smart assed students.  
It was no different that morning, Goemon closing his eyes and taking in a long breath before slowly exhaling it, trying to calm himself as much as he could.  
The class wasn't without it's share of bullies, however, Goemon and another student finding themselves the butt of many jokes and victims of mean-spirited pranks.  
Physical Education was Goemon's second class. It was also his second favorite class, as he had a knack for athleticism and was always fought over by people to be on certain teams.  
It was the one time in the day where he felt welcome and important, even if he was only being used for his skills.  
Goemon walked into his third class, Zoology, shrinking a little as Jigen sat back in his seat and glared at him.  
He knew the consequences when he tossed Jigen's paper into the river, but he didn't care. He still felt good about making someone fail. The thought alone brought a smile to his face as he sat at his desk.  
He always made sure he was one of the last to leave, at least waiting until Jigen left first. It made for one less thing to worry about. Plus with the two sharing lockers in the same hallway, it wasn't like they never saw each other for the rest of the day.  
'He'll probably push me around after school,' he thought as he grabbed his books and left the room, heading right to his next class, which was Algebra, a class he had no problem in and hated only for the reason that it was too simple.

Lunch was always the same for Goemon. He was either able to eat or spent the hour in the bathroom with a punched in face and aching ribs.  
Walking in, he felt that today he could eat, not running into Nick and not even seeing him in his normal spot. Smiling, Goemon walked to the long line to get some food.  
The cafeteria offered very few things he would even touch, and so he'd buy multiples of each item, taking he and his food to an area that had very little traffic.  
And although he wasn't allowed to eat food there, he always cleaned up after himself, so the custodians and teachers never bothered him.  
He ate his food slowly, savoring the taste as he chewed before washing the food down with water.  
Finishing his lunch, he grabbed one of his notebooks, the one he mainly used for Zoology, as that class had a lot of lectures and films where doodling and writing was the only thing that kept most of the students sane.  
He opened it to a page towards the back of the book, one where he had started writing down some ideas for his plans for the school rally.  
He didn't know exactly what he wanted to do, but he just wanted to do something that would get him noticed, something that wouldn't make the others laugh at him more.  
"But what?" he wondered as he stared down at the ideas, getting frustrated and scribbling over them with his pen.  
When the end of lunch bell rang he was still staring down at the paper, his mind still blank on ideas.  
Closing the book, he gathered his things and stood, walking off to his next class, World History.

"Hey Goemon," Fujiko said flirtingly as she smiled at him.  
"Hello," he said while slightly blushing, bowing his head as he quickly took his seat.  
"How is the project going?" she wondered.  
"Fine," he answered, glancing up as other students started to come inside.  
"Lupin said he saw you at the hardware store," she said with a grin on her face. "He saw what you bought and thought you were going to make bombs or something," she laughed.  
He turned and gave her a confused look. "Bombs?"  
"He says you're a mad bomber," she laughed.  
"Hmmm." Goemon turned and stared down at his desk as his mind wandered.  
With a film on the days schedule, he pulled out his notebook and began to write, continuing the set of poems he had started to write the day before.  
He looked up as the lights were turned back on, closing the notebook as the teacher gave them their homework.  
"I'll see you tomorrow, Goemon," Fujiko said as she walked by him, giving him a smile and a small wave.  
He nodded and then stared down at his desk, blushing once again as he wrote down the homework assignment.

He was happy his day was almost over and he was happier to be going to his favorite class, Art.  
He always felt good at this time of the day, knowing he could just be alone to his thoughts as he worked on his projects.  
He walked into the class and noticed some of the other students standing at the back of them room, all gasping and gawking at something on the wall.  
Curious, Goemon made his way into the crowd, what he saw both shocking and upsetting him.  
The projects that he had worked so hard on were pinned up on the wall, all of them scribbled with various obscenities and messages to Goemon.  
Clutching his books tightly, he turned and ran from the room, tears falling from his eyes.

Jigen sat in class, sighing in boredom as they were forced to read Macbeth. Raising his hand, he asked to go to the bathroom, his request granted. He got up and left the room, deciding to just wander around for a little while.  
Goemon sat against one of the buildings, his knees to his chest as he cried into them. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, glaring at Jigen as he walked towards him.  
Jigen glanced down at him, no expression on his face, but his mind full of mocking sentiment and laughter. Passing by him, a smile came to his face as Goemon once again lowered his face into his knees.


	14. Chapter 14

I actually updated this. Amazing, I know. Felt like working on something and opened this story first, so I figured why not finish this chapter, since I already had most of it written. I have lots of ideas for this thing, but of course they would fit best later on, so I need to figure out how to get to later on without it seeming like I just want to get there while skipping other things that should be resolved first. I put way too much thought into these dumb stories.... But who knows, this may be something that will never end. xD

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

Lupin and Fujiko stayed after school, once again sitting in the bleachers and watching as the football team practiced. After the events of the day before, they found out how much they liked spending that time alone.

And even though there was less making out and more talking, both still enjoyed the conversations they had, telling each other things that they really had no one else to tell.

"Hey," Lupin said after a short lull, "if I kept bugging you about something that you didn't want to tell me, would you just make up something to shut me up? Or would you tell me the truth to shut me up?"

Fujiko stared off and shrugged. "I'd probably lie. Why?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "After we dropped you off yesterday, I asked Jigen what his problem was. He got all bitchy and then as I was leaving the car to go home he told me he killed someone and to stop asking him about it."

"And you believe him?" she wondered, giving him an odd stare.

"I know, it's stupid," he answered with a laugh. "I guess I'm just reading too much into it."

"He's obviously lying, Lupin," Fujiko assured him. "I mean, after what you told me about his dad, I'm sure that's his problem. The guy sounds worse than my dad."

"And worse than mine," Lupin muttered.

"So, we agree then that he isn't some cold hearted murderer?" she said as she wrapped her arms around him playfully.

Lupin smiled and nodded, wrapping his arms around her, both staring off happily as they held each other.

After practice, a hot shower, and a change back into his clothes, Jigen left the locker room and walked to the bleachers, Lupin and Fujiko joining him as the three walked on home.

"I think I have the house to myself again," Lupin said. "Do you guys want to come over and hang out for a while?"

"I can't, Lupin," Fujiko said apologetically. "I was supposed to be home an hour ago."

"My dad will be on my ass if I don't get home," Jigen muttered as he stared at the sidewalk.

"Well, maybe another time, right?" Lupin said with a smile and shrug.

"I'd love that," Fujiko said as she wrapped her arm around Lupin's waist.

Jigen didn't say a word as he quickly glanced at the two.

Two blocks later Jigen left them, having to go north while Lupin continued with Fujiko, walking her home before he heading home himself.

------------

"Hey, dad," Jigen muttered as he walked in his house, his dad lying on the couch and watching TV.

"How was practice?" his dad asked.

"Okay, I guess."

"Do me a favor and get me a beer, will you?"

"Yeah, sure."

"I'm going to your game Friday," his dad said in a slightly louder voice. "I'll take you out for something to eat afterwards. That sound good?"

"Is it okay for you to be out so soon?" Jigen wondered as he walked to the couch and handed his dad a cold can of beer.

"Ah, fuck what the doctors say, right?" He opened the can and took a long drink. "I'm not gonna lay around all day and bore myself to death."

Jigen just stood in silence.

"Shouldn't even be drinking this shit," his dad laughed as he held up the can.

"Oh." Jigen was now mentally kicking himself, knowing that his dad was on pain medication and knowing that he shouldn't be drinking.

Hearing a door close, Jigen was quickly handed the can, not knowing why until he looked up and saw his mom walk into the living room.

"I really wish you'd quit that, Daisuke," his mom sighed. "You're too young to become a drunk like your father."

"Don't forget me being a drunk is the reason we met," his father called out. Seeing his wife walking into the kitchen, he reached out and grabbed the can from Jigen's hand, finishing the rest of the beer in one big gulp and then handing the can back.

Jigen looked down at the can. "I should start on my homework," he said, wanting to find an escape before his dad started up another conversation.

"Teachers better not be giving you any problems this year," his dad said as he walked away.

"They're not," Jigen said before he walked into his room and closed the door.

------------

Jigen slammed his fist down on his clock, hoping to hit the snooze button, but failing, forced to sit up and turn off the alarm.

He squinted as he stared off, having worked on his report for Mister Watts class until early morning, only getting a few hours of sleep.

After his usual morning ritual he was walking out the door, meeting up with Lupin, who had stood around and waited for him, the two walking to school and saying little as they did.

He was just barely able to stay awake during his first two classes and started hoping that there wasn't going to be any boring films for Watts' class as he walked to it.

Stepping inside the room, he shuffled to his desk and plopped himself down. Digging through his backpack, he grabbed the report and stood, walking to the desk in the front of the class.

"It's a couple days late, but here it is," Jigen said as he held out the report.

Mister Watts looked up from the novel he read. "Better late than never, right?" he laughed as he took the papers, flipping through them quickly before setting it to the side. "Jigen," he said as Jigen started to walk away. "I need to speak with you after class, okay?"

Jigen nodded and went back to his desk.

He was glad that there wasn't a film that day, as he had a hard enough time staying awake through the lecture they were given.

The bell finally rang, the students getting their things together and filing out of the room, Jigen taking his time and walking up to his teachers desk.

"Yeah?" he said, his voice and his face showing complete boredom.

"Is there a problem between you and Goemon?" Mister Watts wondered. "The project you two worked on didn't exactly work out."

"It's nothing," Jigen shrugged. "I mean, I wanted to help and he didn't want me to. I don't know..."

"Hmm. Well, I'll make a note to not pair you guys up again. Save you all the trouble."

"Yeah, thanks." Jigen nodded slowly and then started out of the class. 'One more hour until lunch,' he groaned mentally, not eating much of a breakfast that morning.

------------

Jigen was able to survive his fourth class, deciding to skip going to his locker and going straight to the cafeteria, where he bought all the food and soda he could afford.

Walking back carefully with the tray, he arrived at his usual spot, Lupin and Fujiko already there.

"Hungry?" Lupin asked straight faced as he stared down at Jigen's tray.

"Shut up," Jigen said as he opened his first can of soda.

"Get anything for me?" Lupin wondered.

Jigen shook his head no as he started to inhale the food.

"I guess I should ask if you left anything for me," Lupin muttered.

"It isn't that much food," Jigen said in a raised voice. "I've seen you eat three times this amount. And do I ever give you any bullshit for it? No. So fuck off."

Lupin grinned and patted Jigen on the head, his hand quickly getting pushed away. "Someone didn't get enough sleep," Lupin laughed.

Jigen glared at him as he and Fujiko stood.

"We're gonna get some food and then wander around," Lupin said. "I'll see you after school." He gave Jigen a dumb grin and walked off arm in arm with Fujiko.

"Yeah, sure," Jigen muttered, going back to eating his food, finishing it all just as the bell signaling the end of lunch came.

------------

Jigen closed his English book and let out a long sigh. 'Made it,' he thought, then groaning at the fact that he still had practice.

'Coach'll be pissed if I miss it,' he thought, forcing himself out of his seat and out of class.

"Slowpoke, geez," Lupin laughed as Jigen came walking up to his locker.

Jigen said nothing as he opened the locker door and threw some of his books inside.

"You're still coming to my house on Friday, right?" Lupin asked.

"My dad's taking me out to eat after the game. I guess I can see if he'll drop me off after."

"That's okay. My dad gets home Monday morning, so we'll have the rest of the weekend to hang out."

"Well, if I can I'll be there Friday night," Jigen repeated.

Lupin nodded, staring off at the other end of the hall, smiling when he saw Fujiko enter.

"Hey, Fujiko," Lupin said as she stomped towards them, a look of complete anger on her face. "Something wrong?" he wondered.

"I can't believe you," she yelled as she glared at Jigen, slapping him hard in the face once she was close enough.

"Fujiko," Lupin said in shock.

"What the fuck was that for?!" Jigen demanded as he rubbed his face.

"You know what that was for! How could you do something like that?!"

"Do what? What the fuck did I do?!"

"Oh, so you're just going to pretend like you don't know anything about defacing Goemon's art? That's really nice, Jigen."

Jigen stared in quiet confusion as he stared at her, trying to figure out what she was talking about.

"Come on, Lupin," Fujiko said, grabbing Lupin's arm and pulling him with her.

"The fuck?" Jigen muttered, slamming the locker door shut and heading towards the gym.

------------

Jigen glanced towards the bleachers during practice, noticing that Lupin wasn't there. 'Fucking Fujiko,' he thought.

As practice continued Jigen had time to think about what she said and did, making him more angry about the whole situation.

The high pitched sound of a whistle broke him somewhat from his thoughts, huddling with the other players as their coach talked to them about their next game, none of which Jigen really heard.

Being dismissed, Jigen wandered to the lockers with the others. The hot shower calmed him a little, but he was still bothered by what had happened.

"Hey," he said as he walked to his locker, another player sitting nearby. "What is this I heard about art being defaced?" He decided the best strategy was to play dumb.

"Oh yeah," the player laughed. "Miles did that. We heard that dumb shit tried to screw you over, so Miles thought he'd teach him a little lesson."

Jigen grinned and laughed about it, but on the inside he wanted to kill Miles.

He glanced over at him as he changed, not wanting to lose sight of him. Wandering over, Jigen told him that he needed to ask him something and to wait for him. Miles agreed.

Jigen took his time as he watched the others leave, changing slowly until he and Miles were alone.

"So, what'd you want to know?" Miles asked as he walked towards Jigen, who had just finished and stood up.

"I heard about that thing with the art," Jigen said with a smile.

Miles laughed. "Wasn't that great? That asshole won't be screwing with you from now-"

His words were cut short as Jigen grabbed him and pushed him against the lockers. "I don't want you to mess with Goemon ever again," he growled as he got into Miles' face. "If I want to fuck with him, I'll do it. I don't need you or anyone else standing up for me."

"Y-yeah, um, sure," Miles said nervously.

"And I swear, if I end up getting in trouble over what you did, I will fucking kill you, understand?"

Miles nodded quickly. "I'll... I'll take the blame. I'll tell Principle Zenigata what I did. I'll do it right now."

"Good," Jigen said, letting Miles go and watching him rush off. "Dumbass," he muttered, grabbing his things and leaving the lockers, sighing deeply as he prepared for the long walk home.


	15. Chapter 15

Once again I forgot about this story. I do that a lot. xD And then I saw I had this chapter pretty much finished, so I added some crap to the end and decided it was good and done. So.... yeah. I don't know what to say about this story now. It's one of those I don't want to work on anymore, but one that I do just because future ideas for this are so awesomely dumb. Yay dumb! :D I was also thinking of adding in another character. Not sure yet, though.

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

Jigen got home and went right to his room, closing the door and getting his homework done before laying down for a much needed nap. The next thing he knew he was being nudged awake by his mom, her voice whispering about dinner being ready.

He forced himself up and dragged his feet to the table, to where his father stared at him.

"What's wrong with you? Don't tell me you're sick."

Jigen shook his head. "Just catching up on sleep." He stared hungrily at the plate set in front of him. "I had to finish a report last night."

"Hmm," was his dads only answer as he was busy spooning food into his mouth.

Jigen finished his plate rather quickly, excusing himself to his room, laying on his bed and going back to sleep until his phone woke him up.  
"Yeah," he answered groggily.

"Jigen..." Lupin said after a long pause.

"Lupin?" Jigen sat up and stared off in worry. "Are you okay?" He glanced at the clock, seeing it was almost five in the morning. "Lupin?"

"I just... need someone to talk to," he finally spoke.

"Are you high or something?"

"I'm at the hospital."

"Is everything okay?"

"If everything was okay I wouldn't be here," Lupin answered in an annoyed angry tone.

"How the hell am I supposed to know," Jigen muttered as he layed back down.

"Can you come here?"

Jigen closed his eyes and sighed. "Now?"

"No, tomorrow," Lupin answered sarcastically. "Yes, now."

"I'm wavering on no, since you're being an ass and all." Jigen opened his eyes when the only response he got were low sobs. "Lupin, tell me what the hell happened."

Lupin let out a long sigh as he tried to calm himself. "Fujiko... her dad found out she was pregnant. And then he beat her. And... and when her mom tried to break it up... she was beat, too."

"God... are they okay?"

"They have some broken bones... and Fujiko... she lost the baby... I want to kill that son of a bitch, Jigen. I want to grab my dad's gun and go to the station and shoot him."

"Just stay where you are until I get there, okay? I'll get there as fast as I can."

"Thanks, Jigen."

Jigen ended the call, quickly getting dressed and writing a note for his parents, only saying he left early and that he'd be back that evening. He eyed the car keys on the table by the front door. "Fuck it," he muttered, grabbing them and leaving the house.

He drove as fast as he could get away with, arriving at the hospital in fifteen minutes, finding a place to park and walking quickly inside.

He saw Lupin in one of the chairs in the main waiting room, his head lowered as he held his face in his hands.

"Hey," Jigen said as he sat next to him. "How are they?"

Lupin said nothing, only shrugged as he rocked back and forth slightly in the chair.

"Have you seen her, yet?" Jigen wondered as he stared off in front of him.

Lupin nodded. "She's a mess," he said, his words mumbled.

"Let's go outside," Jigen said as he stood. "I need a fucking smoke."

Lupin looked up, his eyes swollen as fresh tears fell down his cheeks. "I... I could use one, too," he said, standing and wiping the tears away as he followed Jigen out the door.

The two sat in one of the benches far from the entrance, Jigen pulling out a pack of cigarettes and taking two out, giving one to Lupin before he lit both.

"She called me," Lupin said as he stared down at the dirt covered concrete. "She said her dad found out about the baby. She laughed it off, but asked if I'd come over just in case. I said I would. When I got there I heard screaming, so I forced the door open and... he was leaning over his wife beating her, like she was just nothing to him. There was a golf bag by the door, so I grabbed a club and hit him until he wasn't moving. Fujiko was unconscious and her mom was moaning in pain, so I called 911." He scoffed and shook his head. "I should have just killed him there, gotten it over with."

Jigen said nothing.

"Why?" Lupin wondered, his voice loud and whiny. "Why would..." Only sobs would come out after that, Lupin lowering his head, his tears landing near his feet.

Jigen stared off, too deep in his own thoughts to answer.

------------

"If you could open your books to page-" Mister Watts, as well as the rest of the class, looked at the door as it opened, Jigen walking in. "Nice of you to join us."

Jigen didn't respond, handing his teacher a piece of paper, which Watts took and read in silence.

"Everything okay?" Watts asked in slight concern.

Jigen nodded and took his seat.

Class resumed and for the next twenty minutes Jigen only pretended to pay attention, his mind on how Lupin was, somewhat regretting he left him alone at the hospital, but knowing he couldn't afford to miss that much school.

'Hopefully he stays there and doesn't do anything stupid,' Jigen thought as he doodled on the paper in front of him.

The bell rang, Watts giving everyone their homework, Jigen quickly writing it down before gathering his things and leaving class. "Hey, Goemon," he called out.

Goemon tensed some, stopping and looking back as Jigen approached him.

"You know Fujiko, right?" Jigen asked in an almost monotone voice, his face holding no expression. "She mentions you sometimes."

"Yeah, why?"

"There was an incident last night. She's in the hospital."

"What kind of incident?" Goemon asked, worry on his face.

"Her dad beat her up kind of badly."

"Is she okay?" Goemon asked as panic set in.

"She's doing better. I'm going to see her after school if you want a ride."

"Um... yeah, sure," he forced out, angry at himself for being so hesitant.

"I need to see my coach, so just wait around the hall and I'll meet you there."

Goemon nodded and then watched as Jigen walked off.

------------

"You ready?" Jigen asked, entering the hall, empty except for Goemon, who stood by his locker.

"Yeah," Goemon said in a low voice.

Jigen got what he needed out of his locker and walked towards Goemon.

"Why... why did her father do that to her?" Goemon asked as they walked towards the parking lot.

"She was lying to him and he didn't like it very much," Jigen shrugged.

They reached his car, both getting in. Jigen grabbed a cigarette and placed it between his lips, ready to light it when Goemon spoke up.

"Could you please... not smoke." He tensed once again as he realized he was telling Jigen what not to do in his own car. "It's just that if my father smells it, then..."

"Hmm," Jigen said as he put the lighter away. "Your dad's an asshole, too, huh?"

Goemon glared at Jigen. "This doesn't change the way I feel about you," he said as he stared out the window.

Jigen shrugged. "I didn't expect it to."

An awkward silence fell over the car as they neared the freeway.

"Hey," Jigen said. "I had nothing to do with your art getting screwed up. I made the guy who did it confess and he got suspended. Just thought you'd want to know."

"Oh.... thanks." Goemon stared down at his lap.

Neither said another word as they arrived at the hospital. Jigen parked and both got out, Jigen hanging back as he lit his cigarette, smoking it as he watched Goemon walking towards the entrance.

"Idiot," he muttered, putting his hands in his pockets and making his way slowly towards the front doors.

------------

Jigen was glad to see Lupin still there, happier to hear his friend had stayed there the whole day.

"I thought about it when I woke up," Lupin sighed.

Jigen sat silently next to him.

"But I realized how stupid that'd be. Fujiko needs me right now. I mean, how could I be with her while I'm in some jail cell, right?" Not getting a response, he looked over, Jigen fast asleep. "I'm not that boring, am I?" Lupin joked, deciding he needed something in his stomach and making his way towards the cafeteria.

------------

Goemon sat silently in a chair next to Fujiko's bed. He stared at her battered face, still able to see the beauty through the bruises and bandages.

He closed his eyes and sighed, a smile on his face as his mind played out the scenes of brutal torture and death, the kinds of things he wanted to do to Fujiko's father.

His smile faded. He knew those dreams would be just that. Actions of the mind and not of reality.

But maybe it was better that way.

"Maybe," Goemon muttered under his breathe as he stood and left the room.


	16. Chapter 16

I cut a lot out of the end, since I didn't feel like figuring out what to put there. But it works out, I think. Aww, Lupin gets a new fwend. x3

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

Lupin looked over as Goemon sat across from him, his eyes closed and his body relaxed. "You awake?" he asked him.

Goemon nodded.

"Oh." Lupin looked around uncomfortably. "So, we've been here for awhile and I don't know that much about you. Weird, huh?" He gave a small laugh.

"Is that important to you?" Goemon asked, his eyes staying closed.

"Well... I mean, sort of." He looked up at Goemon as he got no reply. "So, is there anything you like to do or anything like that?"

"My grandfather used to teach me the ways of the samurai. I once liked to do that."

"So, you don't do that anymore?"

"My grandfather died and I moved back with my parents. My father chose not to follow the family traditions and became a businessman."

"Well, couldn't you go somewhere and have someone teach you again?"

"I could. My father won't allow me to, though."

"Oh."

"What about you?"

"My dad works overseas and my mom works in town, but I never see them much, so it's like they don't even exist."

"Your interests." Goemon opened his eyes and stared blank faced at Lupin, who was busy staring at the floor, obviously missing the point of his question.

Lupin shrugged. "I like to do a lot of things, most of which aren't legal." He looked at Goemon and grinned.

"Hmm." Goemon closed his eyes again. "And what about him?" he asked of Jigen.

Lupin looked over as Jigen continued to sleep. "He's violent and likes to drink? I don't know."

"So, you think it's weird that you know nothing of me after sitting together for a few hours, yet you know nothing about your friend and act like it's normal."

"If you knew him you'd understand," Lupin sighed. "His private life is just that, private. I'm lucky if he tells me what he had for dinner."

"He's on the football team, right?"

"And the baseball team," Lupin added. "But he just does it to make his dad happy. At least, I think he does."

Lupin looked over as Jigen's phone rang. "Hey," he said, nudging Jigen awake. "Your phone's ringing."

Jigen opened his eyes and looked around.

"You're in the waiting room," Lupin informed him. "Answer your phone before I break it."

Jigen pulled the phone from his pocket, seeing it was his home number and also seeing the current time. "Shit," he sighed. "Hey dad," he answered, knowing his mom was asleep at that hour.

Lupin grinned, able to hear Jigen's dad yelling from where he sat.

"I know it's late, dad," Jigen said with a roll of his eyes. "I'm... I'm at Lupin's right now. I must have fallen asleep."

Jigen closed his eyes and shook his head as he listened to more of his dads yelling.

"Yeah, obviously," he sighed. "I'll be home as soon as I can. And yeah, I'm aware I took the car. I'll explain everything when I get home." He ended the call and stuck the phone back in his pocket. "You guys need a ride home?" he asked, looking at Lupin and Goemon.

Goemon shook his head.

"I'm going to stay a little while longer," Lupin said.

Jigen nodded, standing and walking out of the room.

"Bye," Lupin muttered as he rolled his eyes.

------------

"So?"

Jigen sat at the kitchen table, his dad sitting across from him, staring at him as he waited for Jigen to explain.

Jigen stared down at the table and shrugged. "Lupin called me and said he was going to kill someone, so I rushed over to calm him down."

His dad scoffed. "Lupin killing someone? That's a damn joke."

"He was angry, so I didn't know whether he'd do it or not."

"Who was he going to kill?"

"His girlfriends dad. He put her and her mom in the hospital and Lupin was pretty shaken up over it."

"Tch. Maybe you shouldn't have stopped him, then." He looked over as Jigen continued staring at the table. "You should get some sleep. You'll need to rest up before your game."

Jigen said nothing, nodding as he stood and walked to his room.

------------

Jigen waved as his dad drove off, Jigen waking up too late to walk to school and his dad not minding giving him a ride.

He thought it odd that his dad was in a somewhat good mood, as that didn't happen often. His mind was thinking about the possibilities for this when he suddenly noticed the lack of his morning annoyance.

"Must still be at the hospital," he muttered to himself.

He left his locker and went on with his normal school day, noticing Goemon absent during zoology and deciding he'd call Lupin during lunch.

When lunch came he wandered out to the parking lot, lighting up a cigarette and finding a tree to lean against.

"Hey," he said as Lupin answered his phone. "How is everything?"

"Good," Lupin said, his voice telling Jigen that everything was actually good. "Hey, did you know that Goemon is actually related to the Goemon I did that report on?"

Jigen was silent as he stared off. "I figured he was. Why?"

"Geez, don't sound so excited, Jigen."

"Hmm."

"You know, you should spend some time with him. He isn't that bad of a guy, you know."

"He holds back and lets people beat the shit out of him when he could easily kill them, so why would I want to hang around with him?"

"It isn't his fault his dad is an assho- wait a second, how'd you know that he could kill people?"

"With a little bit of work, anyone could kill. Or at least beat the shit out of people who bully them."

"Oh, yeah, I guess," Lupin said as he thought about it. "Anyway, his grandpa taught him stuff and how to use swords and other types of weapons. And he says his grandpa had this sword that sounds pretty amazing, but it's locked up in some shrine somewhere. I was thinking we could all go and get it one of these days. You, me, Goemon and Fujiko."

"Sounds special," Jigen said with a complete lack of enthusiasm.

"Fine," Lupin said in annoyance as he glared off in front of him. "You can stay home, then. Wouldn't want you to have fun or anything like that."

"Traveling with Goemon and Fujiko.... yeah, that doesn't sound like fun. Invite me along for something I'd enjoy and I'll think about it."

"You're pathetic, you know?"

Jigen only grinned. "I'm going to grab a soda before lunch ends, so I'll let you get back to your male bonding session."

Lupin only rolled his eyes as the call ended.

------------

Jigen waited by the back parking lot, his dad finally arriving and pulling up next to him.

"Couldn't get away from your mother, nagging me about your appointment and directions and grocery shopping." He groaned and shook his head.  
Jigen glanced at him and grinned.

"So, about these appointments... just what do you do?" He glanced at Jigen as he drove from the school.

Jigen shrugged. "We talk, mainly. But, it's more complicated than that. I don't know how to really explain..."

"Is it worth the monthly bills?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, yeah. I mean, when I first started I thought it was a bunch of shit just to steal people's money. But, then I started talking about crap I usually wouldn't talk about. And it got me to thinking about stuff."

"Why'd your mother sign you up for that, anyway? Something I don't know about?"

"She was worried because of my anger and drinking problems," Jigen shrugged.

"Hunh. So, you think this doctor could help me out?"

Jigen looked at his dad in confusion.

His dad looked over at him with a big grin. He then laughed at Jigen thinking he was serious. "I'm just shitting you, son. I'm beyond help. At least that's what your mother says."

"Oh..." Jigen gave an unsure laugh and then stared out the window. He was kind of disappointed, knowing his dad thought of it all as just one big joke, which was ironic since he thought the same thing.

He decided not to say anything, though, his dad pulling into the office parking lot and finding a place to park.

Jigen's session was basically the same as the last two he had. He didn't elaborate more on his uncle's death, or on his uncle, as the doctor wanted him to.

He knew he could make this quick by just letting everything go, dumping all of his problems on Doctor Robinson, but his inner self wouldn't allow that. He couldn't suddenly be open with his feelings. It just wasn't him.

He was asked to write things down in a journal, something that might be easier for him. He agreed, his session ending without any major accomplishments.

"Finished already?" his dad asked as Jigen left the office.

Jigen nodded, Doctor Robinson following him out.

"Oh, you must Daisuke's father," she said. "I'm Doctor Lorraine Robinson." She held her hand out.

"Nice to meet you," he said as he shook her hand. "My son isn't making things difficult for you, is he?" he asked teasingly.

"No, no," she laughed. "He's a good kid." She looked at him and smiled, Jigen giving her a blank stare.

Jigen's dad smiled. He then remembered his son's game. "Oh, I gotta get my kid to the school. It was nice meeting you."

"It was nice meeting you, too. And good luck tonight, Daisuke."

Jigen gave her a small smile before he followed his dad out the door.

------------

The game was at the school of the team they were playing, which was in the next town.

Jigen was the last to arrive, walking into the locker while the other players were suiting up, their coach giving them a pep talk.

He could tell some of the players were pissed off at him, Miles benched for this game for the art incident and Miles being one of the fastest runners on the team.

For once Jigen wished he could be benched for the night, knowing he was going to take a beating.

And he was right, the linemen not trying very hard to block the defensive linemen as Jigen took his teams first snap, three huge players rushing forward untouched and tackling him to the ground before all three piled on top of him.

The home crowd cheered wildly, Jigen slow to get up.

"Nice way to block, jackasses," he muttered as they huddled.

"Maybe you'll think next time before you rat out one of our own," one of the linemen said.

"I think I'll let in a few more guys tonight," another said with a laugh.

The other players thought it was childish and tried to get everyone into the game, as they needed the win.

Their words fell on deaf ears as the non-blocks continued, Jigen being sacked and tackled over and over.

At half time they got an earful from their coach, warning them and threatening bench time if they didn't get their act together.

His words were also ignored, Jigen having to scramble and throw quick passes all throughout the night, his hard work bringing them a close victory.

------------

"What the fuck was that?!" the coach screamed after the game, all of the players sitting in the locker room. "We should have crushed them! And we win by two points?! That is fucking ridiculous!"

Jigen glanced at some of the linemen before staring back down at the floor.

The coach continued his tirade, getting in some of the players faces and pointing his finger into others chests.

"Miller, Jacobs and Donovan, you're sitting out the next two games. Do you understand?!"

The three players nodded as they stared off in anger.

"Williams, Jigen and Fredricks, nice job tonight. Take Monday and Tuesdays practice off. You can use the rest."

The three nodded at the coach, all of them, especially Jigen, happy for the break.

"I expect to see everyone else back to their normal playing levels by Mondays practice. Is that clear?" The coach glared at everyone as they mumbled. He shook his head in shame and walked away.

Jigen took his time to get showered and dressed, the pain that throbbed through his body not allowing him to move any faster.

------------

"How you feeling?" Jigen's dad asked as he drove to the steak house they were going to eat at. "They fucked you up pretty bad from where I was sitting."

"Yeah, I feel pretty fucked up," Jigen sighed.

"At least you guys won, though, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"So, what happened? Get someone pissed off?"

Jigen shook his head and sighed. "One of the players messed up this guys artwork and since the guy had pissed me off some thought I did it. And I didn't want to get in trouble for something I didn't do, so I made the one who did confess. And of course he had to be the star running back."

"Hmm... well, sometimes doing the right thing gets you fucked over in the end. But I guess it's good for the conscience or some such bullshit, eh?"

Jigen laughed and shook his head. "I know that by tomorrow morning I'm really going to be wishing for that suspension I would have gotten." He looked over at his dad and grinned, his dad grinning back.

"Maybe some food in you will make everything better for a little while."

"Maybe," Jigen muttered, just wanting the day to end.


	17. Chapter 17

I rushed most of this, since I had already written what I wanted to and just had filler left.

* * *

Chapter Seventeen

Jigen and his dad spent a nice meal together, mainly talking about sports and women.

After an hour they were finished and back on the road.

"Hey dad, can you drop me off at Lupin's house? I'm supposed to spend the night there."

"Sure," his dad said as he changed lanes and got off the freeway.

He drove to the house, stopping at the curb and letting Jigen off, the two waving before each going their separate ways.

The house was dark, the only light on seeming to be the porch light. Jigen knocked on the door and waited a few minutes.

Getting no answer, he tried the door, surprised to see it open, but figuring Lupin left it unlocked for him.

Walking inside, he thought it odd that the house was dark.

"Lupin?" he called out, standing in the entryway and gazing at the area before him. "Anyone home?" he muttered, finding the stairs and walking up them.

He found the house empty, wandering the main upstairs hall as he pulled out his phone to call Lupin. He started to dial just as the front door opened.

"Lupin!" Lupin's dad yelled, the front door slamming shut.

"Shit," Jigen whispered, ducking into the door closest to him, cursing some more when he saw it was Lupin's dads office.

Jigen looked around, panicked as footsteps approached, running into the closet as the door opened and the lights turned on.

Jigen pressed himself against the far wall, trying not to move as he breathed slowly. He could hear Lupin's dad sit down and mutter to himself as he picked up the phone.

The man was a loud talker, Jigen taking the opportunity to call Lupin, hoping his voice wouldn't be heard.

"Hey," Lupin answered.

"Lupin," Jigen whispered. "You have to get me out of here."

"Why are you whispering? And where are you?"

"I'm at your house trapped in your dad's office."

"What? What the hell are you doing in there? If he finds you there he'll kill you."

"No shit," Jigen muttered. "Just come and distract him or something."

"Fine," Lupin sighed in annoyance. "Just don't get caught." He stuck his phone back in his pocket and looked over at Goemon. "I have to go get Jigen out of my house. You want to come?"

Goemon nodded, the two leaving the hospital and catching the bus, getting dropped off half a block from Lupin's house.

"Just a warning," Lupin said. "My dad can be sort of a dick sometimes. So if he yells or something, just ignore him."

Goemon nodded, understanding perfectly well the kind of person he was describing.

Lupin pulled out his keys and unlocked the front door, Goemon following him inside.

"Dad?" Lupin hollered. "You home?"

He heard a door open as he stood at the bottom of the stairs, starting up them as his dad walked out into the hall.

"Yeah?" his dad said as he watched the two walk towards him.

"Hey dad," Lupin said, acting happy to see him. "Oh, this is my friend, Goemon." He motioned to Goemon, who stood behind him. His eyes then watched as Jigen snuck out of the room and ran into another.

Lupin's dad smiled and nodded at him.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Lupin," Goemon said as he bowed his head.

"So, where's your other friend?" Lupin's dad asked.

"He had to grab something from my room. There he is." He looked as Jigen walked down the hall towards them. "You get it?"

"Yeah," Jigen replied.

"We're going out, dad."

"For how long?" his dad asked.

"I'll be back by tomorrow sometime."

"I'll be leaving again tomorrow morning, so behave yourself until I get back, okay?" He glared down at his son.

"Yeah, sure, dad," Lupin said with a nervous smile.

"You boys have fun," his dad said as they started to walk away. "Stay out of trouble."

"We will, dad," Lupin said.

He exhaled once they were out the front door.

"He doesn't seem as bad as you said," Goemon said as they walked down the sidewalk.

"Because I wasn't alone." Lupin looked over at Jigen. "Why were you even in my house, anyway?"

"I told you I'd be there tonight after me and my dad had dinner. Why weren't you in your house?"

"I was at the hospital, maybe? In case you forgot, Fujiko got beaten half to death."

"I didn't forget. Just like I didn't forget you asking me to come to your house tonight." He glared at Lupin, who glared back at him.

"I don't know, maybe going to my house wasn't high on my priority list," Lupin said in anger, feeling that Jigen should have realized this.

"And what was on your priority list, Lupin? Forgetting about your friend while you stayed with some whore?"

"Hey! Don't-!"

"Don't hey me, Lupin! You know damn well I'm right! The bitch didn't even know who knocked her up! What else would you call her?"

Lupin tensed as he glared at Jigen, the two standing still and facing each other. "I'd call her more important than you. I should have just left you in that house and-" His words were cut short by the sudden pain he felt, Jigen punching hard his stomach.

"I've gone through shit because of you," Jigen growled, staring down at Lupin, who had knelt down and was now holding his stomach. "After all these years and you want to throw our friendship away for some damn bitch? Fine. Have it your way, Lupin. We're through." He glared at Lupin for a few seconds before looking up at Goemon, giving him the same look. He then turned and walked away, Lupin and Goemon watching him.

------------

Jigen walked through the front door, slamming it behind him.

His dad, on the couch watching TV, looked up as he stomped by. "I thought you were spending the weekend with your friend."

"He fucked me over," was all Jigen said as he walked to his room, slamming his door shut.

He walked to his bed, laying down and staring off. He found it funny that the best part of the day was the time he spent with his dad. The worst spent with his friend.

"Yeah, my "friend"," he scoffed. "Fuck him. Fuck everyone."

The day catching up to him, he closed his eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

------------

Lupin and Goemon returned to the hospital later that night after a short detour to Goemon's house to inform his parents of where he was and was going to be.

Goemon's father seemed sympathetic to the two after hearing about Fujiko, even offering them a ride to the hospital and not caring when Goemon would be coming home.

Goemon was surprised by this, but in the end it just made him hate his father more. He didn't know why, but it did.

Arriving at the hospital, the two walked to the waiting room, both sitting down.

"Did you want to see Fujiko?" Goemon asked.

Lupin stared off with a blank expression, only shaking his head slowly in response.

Goemon said nothing and stood, walking out of the room.

'Is that it?' Lupin wondered. 'I'm supposed to pick between two of my friends now? Just to make him happy?' He glared off, wiping away the tears that started to roll down his face. "Screw him," he said, standing and walking out of the room, down the hallway and towards the front, where he walked outside.

Goemon came back to the waiting room, leaving when he saw Lupin gone and wandering the building, finally seeing him sitting outside.

Lupin sat bent over, his head in his hands as his eyes gazed at the cement between his feet.

Goemon stood in the entryway of the hospital and watched for a few seconds before walking off, deciding to leave him be.

------------

The next morning things appeared normal for Lupin, the first thing he did when waking up was rushing to the cafeteria to inhale a large breakfast.

Goemon had declined to go with, not feeling hungry and having seen earlier the way Lupin ate.

When Lupin returned the two headed to Fujiko's room, both happy to see her awake and sitting up, one of the nurses speaking to her.

The nurse turned to see the two standing just inside the room. "I'll leave you alone to visit," she said kindly as she smiled at Fujiko.

"Hey," Lupin said as he gave her a loving smile.

Goemon smiled at her and nodded.

"Were you two here all night?" she wondered, feeling bad for troubling them.

"Of course we were," Lupin said. "We'd spend the whole week here for you."

"Thank you," she said in almost a whisper.

"How are you feeling?" Goemon asked as he stood at the foot of the bed.

"Better than before," she shrugged as she stared off, her mind thinking back to that night her father lost control. "I'm just happy my mom is okay."

"That's good to hear," Goemon said with a kind smile.

"I have to go to the bathroom," Lupin informed them in a somewhat rushed manner. "I'll be right back." He walked out of the room and down the hallway, leaving out the door at the end of it.

He reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone, staring down at it and hesitating before finally calling Jigen's number.

"Come on, answer," Lupin said, his voice close to begging.

He let it ring ten times before ending the call, lowering the phone and staring down at it.

"Why am I even caring.... after what he said..." Lupin closed his eyes, lowering his head and sighing as he turned and made his way back inside.


	18. Chapter 18

Yay, this chapter is longer than the last and I wrote all of it today. :D Everyone is so moody and such. And poor hypocritical Jigen.

Because it's happening now and I think it's weird, I'm gonna share. :D I often get this vision in my mind of me and my dad sitting at the In-N-Out where we used to live and I'm looking out the window across the street at this old, early 1900's house. And it's abandoned and one of those houses that's narrow yet sort of long. And this image annoys me because I don't know why I keep seeing it and if it's something that really happened. I can't remember what is across the street from the In-N-Out, since we only went there to eat twice years and years ago, but I always think way too hard in trying to remember, yet nothing comes up. So, if I end up going insane, you know why. xD

* * *

Chapter Eighteen

Jigen spent the rest of the weekend in his room, sleeping, drinking and avoiding Lupin, who kept calling him to the point where Jigen wanted to smash his phone.

Lupin even went to his house, Jigen asleep at the time. Lupin gave a note to Jigen's mom and then left, figuring that to be his last hope of communication with a person he still thought of as his friend.

"Am I that desperate?" Lupin wondered as he walked down the sidewalk. "I mean, there's tons of people at school to be friends with. Aren't there?"

He stared up at the sky as he walked. "Not really," he sighed, lowering his head and walking on.

------------

Jigen sat on the edge of his bed, his eyes staring down at the note in his hand as he read it in silence.

The whole thing was one long apology, one which Jigen knew wasn't real.

"Be yourself for once, Lupin," Jigen said as he crumpled the note up and tossed it to the side.

He knew Lupin wasn't sorry for what he said. He knew he wasn't sorry for forgetting he invited Jigen to his house. And he knew Lupin cared about Fujiko, that he loved her more than he liked Jigen.

And Jigen saw that as unacceptable.

So much so that he wanted to forget Lupin's existence, something that didn't bother him in the least.

------------

He had blocked his once friend from his memory so much that he didn't notice him standing with Goemon at the end of the hall, Lupin's sad brown eyes staring as Jigen grabbed some books.

'He looks happy,' Lupin thought. A feeling of worthlessness quickly came over him. Was he really that insignificant and forgettable?

"Lupin."

Lupin looked over at Goemon, who had started to walk off. "Oh, yeah, sorry..."

Goemon watched in confusion as Lupin walked next to him. "You don't have to apologize."

"Did I apologize?"

"You did."

"Oh." Lupin looked at him and forced a laugh. "I'm just weird that way. You'll get used to it." He gave a hard slap to Goemon's back before leaving him as he walked to his first class.

Goemon watched and wondered why he even bothered to make a friend.

------------

Goemon felt strange having lunch in the cafeteria. And in a way he felt nervous, as if he didn't belong there.

Lupin ate and talked about his trip last summer, just something to stop the annoying silence that happened much too often around Goemon.

Goemon rarely talked and Lupin didn't know what to talk about around him, as nothing seemed to interest him except for things Lupin knew nothing about.

"And then she slapped me. Can you believe that, Jigen?"

Goemon looked up from his food and stared blankly at Lupin. "I'm Goemon, Lupin."

"Huh? Why? What'd I call you?" he wondered curiously.

"Jigen."

"I did not," he laughed. "You're hearing things again, Goemon."

Goemon rolled his eyes and went back to eating.

Lupin's laugh faded as he stared at the other end of the room, Jigen sitting with his friends and all laughing and having a good time.

'At least he has friends,' Lupin thought sadly. 'Goemon probably only hangs around me because he feels sorry for me. I'm so pathetic. I'm so.... so stupid.'

Goemon looked up as Lupin let out a long sigh and then stood. He watched as Lupin silently walked off and then looked back, glaring as Jigen and his friends had a good time.

------------

After school Lupin sat against one of the front walls of the main building, his watering eyes staring down at the screen on his phone. Hating his life even more he buried his head in his knees and wrapped his arms tightly around his bent legs, pulling himself up into one compact ball.

Goemon stood by the front entrance and watched, deciding to leave Lupin alone to deal with his problems as he walked on home.

------------

Lupin didn't show up for school the next day, Goemon waiting by his locker for him to arrive, walking to class when the five minute bell rang.

Even though he didn't know Lupin that well and still wasn't ready to consider him a true friend the whole episode made Goemon angry.

He hated how Lupin moped, just thinking back to how he acted the day before annoying him. But more than that, he hated how Jigen was oblivious to it all.

'Jigen should have known Lupin would want to be with Fujiko,' he thought, glaring across a row of desks as Jigen sat staring blankly in front of him as Mister Watts talked about their current lesson.

'He should show more compassion to Fujiko, who could have died that night. Instead he calls her... he insults her.' Goemon couldn't bring himself to say the words Jigen referred to Fujiko as.

'And now he acts as if Lupin doesn't even exist. And he seems to be enjoying it.'

Goemon lowered his head and closed his eyes, trying to think of other thoughts before the anger took over his body.

------------

By lunch his anger was moreso. He had nobody to sit with and felt as if he didn't belong inside while alone. And without Lupin there he was a prime target for the bullies.

He stood in line and grabbed a bottle of water, paying for it and starting outside when he saw Jigen having a good time with his friends. Unable to just walk away he approached the table.

"Jigen."

The group stopped laughing and looked at Goemon.

"What do you want?" Jigen asked.

Goemon didn't know where to start. He had so much to say. "Do you know why Lupin isn't here?" He felt that was a good place to start. He was sure Jigen's response would get him angry enough to say the rest.

"How the hell should I know? And why should I care? Besides, he's probably with that whore."

His friends laughed.

Goemon wasn't amused.

"Don't call her that," Goemon demanded, causing the laughter to stop once again.

"Fine," Jigen shrugged. "He's probably with that slutty little bitch. Is that better?"

Goemon tensed as the anger rose, Jigen and his friends laughing at Fujiko's expense. Gripping his bottle of water tightly, he pulled his hand back and brought it forward, letting go and watching the bottle smack hard the side of Jigen's head.

Gasps were heard as those around the table watched in horror.

"That is fucking it!" Jigen yelled as he jumped to his feet and walked swiftly towards Goemon. He threw out a quick jab, Goemon easily avoiding it.

Goemon stepped forward and landed a hard punch into Jigen's stomach before Jigen had time to react.

Jigen's friend watched in shock as Jigen slowly dropped to the floor. A couple of them stood to challenge Goemon, but backed off when he glared at them.

"Now you know how Lupin felt," Goemon said as he turned and walked off, not getting far as Zenigata was there to lead him away.

------------

"You got detention?" Lupin asked, surprised by the news.

Goemon looked down in shame and nodded.

After school and having served his detention time Goemon decided to go to Lupin's house to check up on him. He was glad to see him doing well, watching TV in his boxers while eating cheese puffs, which Goemon glared in hatred at.

"What'd you do? You're usually so... docile."

"I... I threw my water at Jigen and then punched him."

Lupin stopped chewing, his whole body frozen as he stared at Goemon, too shocked to move or make any kind of facial expression.

"And then I was given detention all this week," Goemon sighed, still looking down and not noticing Lupin's frozen state. "I don't know how I should feel, but I know how I feel now isn't how it should be. Why should I feel bad for doing something to someone who inflicts pain on others so freely? And who seems to enjoy it? But then if I enjoyed it, then would I be like him, the person I hate?"

Lupin shook himself from frozenness. He wasn't good in these types of situations, but he always tried. "I would try not to feel anything," he shrugged. "Just go on with your life. Jigen hates you, anyway, so it's not like things will change."

"I guess," Goemon sighed as he stood. "I should be getting home. I'm glad to see you're fine."

"Thanks," Lupin said, a genuine smile on his face. It was nice to have at least one person caring about him.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

Lupin nodded. "Sure, I'll be there."

Goemon smiled and nodded and then left the house.

"Wow," Lupin said in almost a whisper. "Jigen must be pissed right now. Well, more pissed than usual."

He didn't know why, but for some reason he found it funny, leaning back in the chair and laughing until his stomach hurt.

------------

Goemon was happy to see Lupin at school the next day. And he was also happy to see him in a much better mood.

"Why is he ignoring me?" Goemon wondered as he and Lupin sat down at lunch.

Lupin shrugged in a non-caring way. "He needs to graduate this year and figures you aren't worth the trouble. He'll probably wait until after school to kick your ass."

"If he's able to," Goemon said, sure of his skills.

Lupin only glanced up at him before looking over and noticing Jigen not at the table with his friends.

"Goemon, you don't mind staying after school, do you?"

"I have detention. Why?"

"Oh yeah. I'll wait around for you, then. I need to talk to Jigen."

"To apologize?" Goemon glared at Lupin, who grinned nervously. "What did you do wrong, Lupin?"

"I... I don't know. I just..." He looked down and sighed.

Goemon's glare faded. "I understand," he said, knowing just how much Lupin missed his friend and knowing how much of a fool Jigen would be to keep ignoring him.

------------

Lupin walked the school, seeing an hour had gone by and walking to the class detention was held in, being quite familiar with it.

Goemon walked out with the other students and nodded when he saw Lupin, who gave a slight smile.

"I'm sure he's showering now, so we can just stand by the locker room until he leaves," Lupin said, the two walking that way.

They started around the corner of the gym when they stopped, watching in shock as two players held Jigen while another punched him.

"You act so fucking tough with Miles just to get your ass kicked by some loser freshman?" the one doing the punching said as he drove his fist into Jigen's chest.

"Jigen," Lupin blurted out, starting to run towards him when Goemon held him back. "What are you doing? We have to stop them."

"Let him fend for himself," Goemon said.

Lupin stared at him in confusion, looking back to see the last punch thrown at Jigen's face, the two holding him letting go and letting Jigen fall to the ground.

"Think next time you want to act like some goddamned hero," the one doing the beating said before he and the others walked to the locker room.

"Oh shit, Jigen," Lupin said as he ran up to him, a sick look on his face as he watched the blood drip from Jigen's mouth and nose.

Goemon walked up and stared down at him with a look of uncaring.

"Are you okay?" Lupin asked, almost in a panic.

Jigen, on his hands and knees, glanced up at Lupin. "Why the fuck do you care? You stood and watched the whole damn thing! Why should I even be talking to you?" His voice started to quiver as the pain and shock set in.

"What's the matter, Jigen?" Goemon asked. "You don't like it when others watch you get beaten? You don't like to play that role? It hurts, doesn't it?"

"Fuck you," Jigen said, his tears now falling with his blood. "Fuck both of you!" He raised his head and glared at them. "I don't need you!"

Lupin, hurt by Jigen's words, watched as he stumbled to his feet, using the wall to brace himself before trying to walk away.

Jigen got four steps before everything started to spin.

"Jigen!" Lupin yelled as he fell to the ground. Lupin ran up and knelt down by him. "Help me," he pleaded to Goemon as he tried to lift Jigen up.

Goemon knew the situation was now serious, taking that role as he hurried over to help Lupin, the two getting Jigen up and leading him out of the school.

The office was closed by that time, most of the teachers having left. "My house is closer," Lupin said. "If we stop the bleeding now we can make it there fine. I think."

Goemon nodded and helped lay Jigen down on one of the cement benches in front of the school. He then ran to the the nearest bathroom and grabbed as many paper towels as he could.

They eventually got the bleeding to stop, having to shove a small wad up one of Jigen's nostrils and shoving another larger wad into his mouth, where he suffered several cuts on his cheeks.

Almost forty minutes later the two arrived at Lupin's house, both tired from lugging Jigen down the sidewalks and streets.

"We can lay him on the couch," Lupin said, both happy to be able to let go of him as they set him down.

"Should we call his parents?" Goemon wondered.

Lupin nodded and left to grab his phone.

As Lupin did that, Goemon stared down at Jigen. "You're no different from anyone else. You're just too stubborn to realize it."

The more he stared the more he noticed something, reaching out and gently brushing Jigen's bangs from his face. Lupin entering broke him from his stare. "I should be going," Goemon said.

"Sure," Lupin nodded. "Thanks for helping me, Goemon."

Lupin and Goemon exchanged smiles before Goemon left. Five minutes later Jigen's dad came to the door, grabbing his son and carrying him to the car.

Lupin watched him drive away, turning and walking back inside his house. Closing the door behind him, he looked around and sighed, never hating the fact he were alone as much as he did at that moment.

* * *

Yay cheese puff hatred. xD If I can toss that in, I'll do it. Also, the ending was supposed to be different, but it all changed when I wrote Jigen fainting. So, don't try to think too hard why they dragged an unconscious Jigen all the way to Lupin's house only to turn right around and call his parents to pick him up. I don't get it, either. :D


	19. Chapter 19

:D

I wasn't going to do this, but this whole storyline thing came to me and I thought it was funny and filled with drama somewhat, so I decided to take this route. The next chapter is when time will pass by. And then chapter 21 will sort of be part two.

* * *

Chapter Nineteen

"Jigen," Lupin called out happily, Goemon tagging along with Lupin as the two approached.

Jigen kept his face straight ahead, rolling his eyes to the side to glance at the two for a split second as he grabbed two books and slammed the locker door shut.

The only signs that Jigen had been in a fight was a black eye and a small cut to his bottom lip, a vast improvement from the day before.

"Do you have any plans for today?" Lupin asked.

"Fuck off," Jigen muttered as he walked away.

Lupin, persistent, chose to follow him. "Me and Goemon were going to my house later. You should join us."

Jigen stopped and let out a long sigh. Turning, he stared into the eyes of a smiling Lupin. "What part of fuck off don't you get, Lupin?"

"The off part," Lupin grinned.

"I'm not in the mood, all right?"

"That's okay," Lupin said. "You're never in the mood, so if I waited until you were, then-"

"You're not going to leave me alone, are you?" Jigen groaned.

"Nope," Lupin smiled.

Jigen sighed, turning once again and walking out of the hall.

"Do you think you should be pushing him like that?" Goemon wondered.

Lupin glared at Goemon. "Would you rather have me mope all day?" he asked, slight anger in his voice.

Goemon said nothing, watching as Lupin turned and walked off.

------------

Goemon waited until Mr. Watts class was over to speak with Jigen. It didn't really take much pushing to get him to walk up to Jigen's desk. He now knew who Jigen was.

"I'm sorry for yesterday," Goemon said, no expression on his face and no emotion in his voice.

Jigen finished writing down the assignment on the board and looked up at Goemon. He scoffed and shook his head as he gathered his books and stood. "Yeah, you sound so remorseful."

"You don't believe me?" Goemon said in annoyance.

"You expect me to? Besides, I've been in the same situation and I wasn't sorry at all. You wanted me to get my ass kicked. Not that I really blame you..."

"What are you saying?"

"You're smart. Figure it out."

Goemon watched in confusion as Jigen walked away.

------------

Lupin made sure he caught up with Jigen before lunch, insisting they all sit together.

Jigen only did so to get Lupin off his back, but he chose not to join in on the conversation, eating his food silently as he stared down at the tray in front of him.

"Oh, that reminds me," Lupin said. "I won't be at your game tomorrow. Fujiko is getting released, so I'm going to help her get settled at my place until things are better with her dad."

"Whatever," Jigen muttered.

"Fujiko, living in my house," Lupin sighed happily as he gazed off.

"Yeah, wonderful," Jigen said as he stood, throwing his trash away before leaving the two.

------------

Jigen spent practice angry, his mind on other things. He still wasn't sure about forgiving Lupin, but at the same time he was confused at who was at fault for their fight to begin with.

'He invited me,' Jigen thought as he and the others on his team ran around the track. 'Only to forget because of some stupid bitch. A stupid bitch he seems to love. A stupid bitch who only seems to use him. A stupid bitch who got her ass kicked by her asshole dad.'

'Was I wrong for not caring enough to understand? Or was he wrong for forgetting about me. God, I sound like some damn jealous boyfriend.'

The coach blew his whistle and Jigen and the others gathered around him as he gave them a short talk.

Jigen heard little of what his coach said. It was always the same pep talk anyway, so Jigen rarely ever bothered.

'I'm not apologizing,' Jigen thought, making up his mind as he walked to the locker room. He glanced up, noticing Lupin and Goemon leaning against the wall.

"We'll wait for you," Lupin said with a smile.

Jigen got to his locker and sat down, getting shoved from behind.

"Had to have your boyfriends here to protect you?" Donovan, the one who had done the beating the day before, said with a smirk.

Jigen chose to ignore him.

"Just wait until tomorrows game," Donovan said in a slight growl. "You'll be fucked up more than last week. I'll make sure of it."

Jigen only rolled his eyes as he continued to undress.

He took his time and waited for most of the others to leave before showering, not wanting to be the victim of a gang rape, something he had heard happens to those who piss enough of their teammates off.

Twenty minutes after entering he was dressed in normal clothes and leaving.

"Nice to see you take your time, Jigen," Lupin joked.

Jigen said nothing as he walked with Lupin and Goemon, all of them heading to Lupin's house.

------------

The three sat in the living room, cold beers in Lupin and Jigen's hands while Goemon refused anything to drink.

It was clearly visible that Jigen wasn't enjoying his time there, his eyes staring blankly at the far wall.

Lupin chose to talk nonstop about his excitement of Fujiko living with him, going on and on about the things he wanted to do and hoped to do with her, most of that hoping focused on sex.

Goemon sat uncomfortably as he spoke of such things, his saving grace being the ringing telephone in the background.

"Probably my dad," Lupin said as he got up and walked over to answer it.

Goemon stared down at the floor, often glancing up at Jigen, who still sat staring off.

"Where are you going?" he asked as Jigen stood.

"I need to use the john," Jigen muttered.

"Jigen, wait," Goemon said as he stood and followed Jigen down the hall. "I need to talk to you for a second."

"Make it quick," Jigen said as he stopped and faced Goemon.

Goemon had thought about this a lot since the day before. There was something he felt as he watched Jigen get beaten. He regretted letting it happen, but at the same time he enjoyed it, a sense of satisfaction coming over him.

But there was also something else there, something that was there for a while, long before yesterdays event. It confused him, but he knew he couldn't hide it any more.

Goemon faced Jigen and glared at him, quickly grabbing him by the shirt and shoving him hard against the wall.

"I thought you wanted to talk, not beat the shit out of-"

Jigen's words were quickly silenced as Goemon moved forward and pressed his lips against Jigen's.

Jigen stared with surprised eyes as a blushing Goemon pulled back slowly.

"I-I'm sorry," Goemon whispered, turning and quickly walking off.

"What the fuck..." Jigen could only stand and watch Goemon leave. He then wiped his mouth off on his sleeve quickly. "Fucking... what the hell?" he said in disgust as he walked into the bathroom.

Lupin hung the phone up and walked back to the living room as Goemon was getting his stuff together. "Leaving so soon?"

Goemon nodded. "I need to get home," he said in a low voice.

"Oh. Okay." Lupin could see something was wrong. 'I'm sure Jigen had everything to do with it,' he thought. "You're coming with me to the hospital tomorrow, right?"

Goemon nodded. Anything to avoid Jigen.

"Okay," Lupin said. "I'll see you tomorrow. We can catch the evening bus."

"Okay," Goemon said with a half smile before he turned and left.

Lupin sighed happily as he sat down, his thoughts returning to he and Fujiko living under the same roof.

"Where's Goemon?" Jigen asked as he walked into the room, trying to act as if nothing had happened.

"He had to go home," Lupin shrugged.

"Oh." Jigen sat down, once again staring off, although now his mind was on something completely different.

"You know, I should have called you," Lupin said as he also stared off. "It would have saved us all of this drama. I guess I just got too caught up in Fujiko's problems to remember anything happening in my own life. You... you forgive me, right?" He looked over at Jigen, who gave no response. "Jigen?"

"Huh?" Jigen glanced at Lupin for a second before looking away. "Oh, yeah, sure."

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just... I should probably go."

"Okay..." Lupin watched in confusion as Jigen got up. "I'll call you this weekend. Maybe we can plan something."

"Sure, but won't you want to be alone with your girlfriend?"

Lupin grinned and let out a perverted giggle, Jigen forcing a smile before rolling his eyes and leaving.

------------

Goemon woke up the next morning, doing his usual routine of meditating. This round was his hardest, the only thing he saw when his eyes were closed being Jigen's shocked face.

'Did I go too far?' he wondered.

Unable to clear his mind he stood and headed for the bathroom to shower, grabbing his school clothes on the way.

He only wanted to be alone that day, but he knew Lupin would never let him, knowing he'd be right there waiting for him by his locker. 'Jigen will probably be there, too,' he thought with dread.

He was sure he'd get a good beating for his actions, wanting to just turn around as he walked to school and go back home.

The thoughts of facing his father, though, made him continue heading to school.

As he expected, Lupin was waiting by his locker when he entered the hall. To his relief, though, Jigen wasn't there.

"What happened last night when I was on the phone?" Lupin wondered.

Goemon tensed. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I don't know. Jigen seemed pissed off when I mentioned your name and said he had to go."

"Oh, that. I... I just told him what I thought... and he didn't like it... I guess."

"Is that all?" Lupin laughed. "The way Jigen was acting I thought it was something serious."

"Yeah..."

------------

Things got a little worse for Goemon, not watching where he was going as he entered Mr. Watts class only to run into Jigen as he was walking out.

"S-sorry," Goemon said, his cheeks blushing slightly.

"I doubt that," Jigen said, shoving his way passed Goemon as he ran to grab something from his locker.

Goemon turned and watched, sighing and heading inside to his desk.

------------

Jigen spent lunch by himself, Goemon feeling bad as he and Lupin sat together.

Lupin once again laughed it off, telling Goemon not to worry about it, that this is how Jigen was.

Goemon knew he couldn't tell Lupin the whole story, so he just went along with what Lupin said.

He knew that Jigen was the only one he could talk to about what had happened, but he knew that was near impossible, as Jigen would probably just walk away and avoid the discussion.

And so, he had to just let things be the way they were, live with the decision he had made.

------------

Jigen waited out in front of the school for his dad to pick him up. As he glanced around he saw Lupin approaching.

"Your dad is always late," Lupin joked.

"He's probably trying to figure out where he put the keys," Jigen said with a laugh.

"So, everything okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know. You just seem angry or something."

"I'm always angry or something."

"What'd Goemon say to you, anyway?"

"He didn't say anything."

"That's weird. He said he told you how he felt or something and that you got mad."

"Well, maybe I'm avoiding answering your question." He turned and gave Lupin a serious look.

"Wow," Lupin laughed. "You really hate him, don't you?"

"Maybe," Jigen said. "I'll see you later." He walked off as his dad drove up.

Lupin waved as the car drove off.

------------

Jigen was quiet on the way to the doctors, just listening to his dad as he went on about his day, most of it spent on a phone call he had with his boss and how he almost quit.

Jigen silently wondered how his mom took that, the way she could take things way out of proportion.

The conversation continued into the building and in the waiting room, only stopping when Jigen was invited into Doctor Robinson's office.

He took a seat, Doctor Robinson taking hers soon after.

"So," she began, "what's been happening this week, Jigen? Anything of importance?"

"Last week I got in a fight with my friend," Jigen shrugged.

"And?"

"I wrote it all in that journal you wanted me to keep, but I left it at home."

"That's fine. It's mainly for you, but if you wanted me to read it you can bring it in next week."

"Yeah, I'll do that."

"So, are we going to talk anymore or just relay things through your journal?" she asked with a grin.

Jigen shrugged. "He ditched me for that broad he likes and it pissed me off. So I just ignored him, which wasn't as easy as I thought it'd be. And so when he wanted to be friends again I had to act like I could care less. But, in reality, I was thrilled that he wanted to talk to me again. And then these idiots on my team kicked my ass because I pissed them off. And also..."

Jigen stared down, talking himself into saying what he wanted to as Doctor Robinson waited.

"Somebody kissed me and I'm not sure how I should feel about it."

"Is this somebody a person that you like?"

"Not really."

"Did you know they felt that way towards you before they kissed you?"

"No, I thought they hated me, too. I mean, he stood and watched me get my ass kicked and then taunted me afterwards."

"He?" Doctor Robinson gave Jigen an unsure look.

Jigen mentally kicked himself for letting that slip, staring down at the floor in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. I was just under the impression that you preferred women."

"And you were right," Jigen said, his voice raised. "I mean... I don't know anymore, okay? I've been friends with guys my whole life and this never happened. We always talked about women. But after last night..." He stared down at his lap and sighed.

"Are you somehow attracted to this person?"

"He's a friend of a friend. I don't know."

"I think you do know," the doctor prodded as she raised an eyebrow.

Jigen just sighed, exasperated by the whole thing.

"Jigen, no matter how hard it is and no matter how much it goes against what you believe or thought you believed, you have to make the right choice."

"The right choice why? Why does it even matter?"

"Just think about it."

"I hate the guy and he's a complete asshole. That's what I think."

"Okay, then tell him that so he knows and can move on with life."

"Fine. I will."

Doctor Robinson gave a look of disbelief as she stared down at Jigen's file. "So, other than that and the fight you and your friend had and the fights you've been in, is there anything else going on in your life you wish to speak about?"

"I have a question. If you made plans with someone and then you got distracted by something else important to you and dumped the one you made plans with, who would be at fault? You or the other person for not realizing your distractions were a higher priority?"

"I would say both would be at fault. And I would hope both made an effort to admit their mistakes and apologize."

"Oh. Okay, I guess I see it that way."

"And did you apologize?"

"Pfft, no. Why the hell should I? I never dumped him for some whore."

The doctor closed her eyes and shook her head, knowing she had a lot more work to do.

------------

Jigen thought about what the doctor had said, wondering if he had everything wrong. It was something that was hard for him to do, admitting he was wrong. He tried, though.

His teams game was at home, which didn't really matter to him, but seemed to pump up some of the other players.

He never got the home team advantage. He always felt that if someone couldn't overcome that, then they had no place playing.

Jigen's problems were much more than loud crowds, much harder to overcome. And yet, he seemed to survive.

He suffered through seven sacks and a dozen or so tackles, yet still led his team to a lopsided victory.

After the game his coach once again had a screaming fit, suspending a few of the players for the rest of the season and giving more players a break from practice for the game well played.

Being that it was a home game, Jigen told his dad that he'd walk home, skipping dinner as he wasn't that hungry.

After the game he was sort of sorry he declined food, his stomach growling as he showered and changed.

He took his time walking from the school, the autumn weather starting to get colder, the almost icy breezes constantly blowing in Jigen's face.

He skipped his street and continued on, walking up and down various streets until he got to the large two story house that was his ultimate destination.

He stood and faced it, staring at it for a few seconds before pushing himself forward, walking up to the front door.

He rang the doorbell and waited.

Inside, Goemon sat on his bed reading a book when he heard the doorbell. Being the only one home, his parents out for their usual friday dinner, he knew he had no choice but to answer it.

He reluctantly went, thinking it might be someone there to see his parents. He was surprised to open the door to see Jigen standing there.

"Hey," Jigen said.

"Hello," Goemon returned.

The two stood there for what seemed like hours, awkward silence filling the air.

"Did you need something?" Goemon asked, staring blank faced at Jigen.

Jigen glanced up at Goemon and nodded. He then started forward.

Goemon tensed, knowing this was when Jigen would repay him for what he did and knowing it wouldn't be pleasant.

And so it surprised him when Jigen placed his hands on Goemon's shoulders and pulled him in for a kiss.

Goemon thought it ironic that he probably had the same expression Jigen had when Goemon had kissed him. Those thoughts quickly faded as he began to kiss Jigen back.

Soon the two were standing in the doorway, their arms wrapped around each other as they shared a long and passionate kiss.


	20. Chapter 20

Twenty

"And so I take it your relationship is going well," Doctor Robinson said.

Jigen looked off at the floor and shrugged. "I guess."

"How long has it been since you two started dating?"

"Six weeks tonight."

"And have you told anyone, yet?"

Jigen laughed. "Yeah, right. It's hard enough to tell myself I'm dating a guy. I'm sure everyone else would be so understanding and happy for us."

"It's going to have to come out sooner or later, Jigen. What are you afraid of?"

"What am I afraid of?" Jigen said with a laugh. "Everything. I mean, what could go wrong telling family and friends "Surprise! I'm gay!" Yeah, that'd turn out great."

"So the secrecy isn't hurting your time together," Doctor Robinson mused as she stared down at her notebook.

"Not really. Between my dad being out of town and Goemon's parents and their stupid parties and dinners we have a lot of time together. And Lupin was too busy screwing Fujiko and spending all day with her to even notice me and Goemon getting closer. And then when Fujiko moved back home and Lupin finally realized we were friends I just told him a lot had happened in four weeks. He seemed to like that answer and moved on."

"And school has been okay for you?"

"Oddly enough, it has. Maybe I just needed to push myself into doing things I wasn't comfortable with. Nick keeps pissing me off, but I just walk away and deal with his stupid taunts. I've been listening to music I always thought sucked and I eat food I would never think of eating. And I think I'm happier because of it."

"And you find that strange?"

"Kind of, yeah."

Doctor Robinson smiled. "It isn't strange at all, Jigen. You've opened yourself up to new and interesting things." She paused and looked down. "And... I think I've helped you all I can."

Jigen looked up at her, not understanding what she was getting at.

"I don't think there's much more I can do, Jigen. Your mother was most worried about your anger issues. And you've opened up about your Uncle and explained everything to your parents, who weren't upset by it at all."

"Yeah, but... what if I need to talk about something in the future? Will you still be okay with me seeing you?"

"Can't you talk about it with your boyfriend? I'm sure he'd help you."

"I guess," Jigen muttered.

"I'll tell you what. I'll give you my home number, but only call me if it's really important, okay?"

Jigen smiled and nodded, taking the paper the doctor had written her phone number on and looking down at it.

"So, I guess this is goodbye for now."

She stood, Jigen standing with her, both staring at the other.

"Yeah," Jigen said, not knowing what to do. "Thanks for helping me out."

Doctor Robinson smiled and nodded. She then extended her hand, Jigen holding it firmly and shaking it. "And good luck tonight. Don't let the other team beat you up too much."

"Yeah," Jigen smiled. Feeling awkward, he gave a wave and walked out of the room.

...

Not only had Jigen's personal life improved, his football playing life also improved. No longer did he get intercepted and rarely did he get sacked. His passes were ninety percent perfect and his team went undefeated and already qualified for the playoffs.

That nights game was no different, winning by thirty five points and shutting out the other team.

The players who once caused much pain for Jigen had a change of heart and put their all into the game, making all their blocks and joining Jigen in the celebrations.

The locker room was pumped, everyone in good spirits excited for their last regular season game.

Jigen smiled as the other players congratulated him. He just wanted to shower and dress and spend the night out with his friends.

"Hey, if it isn't Super Six," Lupin teased as Jigen walked out of the locker room.

"Shut up," Jigen groaned, hating the stupid nickname the fans had given him.

Lupin laughed as he walked with Fujiko, the two holding hands.

Jigen was jealous, wanting to do much more to Goemon, but only able to smile and say a simple greeting.

"So, where are we celebrating?" Lupin wondered as they reached Jigen's car.

"What about that sushi place we went to last week?" Jigen said.

The others agreed and were happy with that choice. Jigen still wasn't big on sushi, but they served other things he enjoyed. Plus he found it was one of the few places Goemon would eat at.

They arrived at the small restaurant and sat down, ordering drinks and getting menus.

Lupin and Fujiko already knew what they wanted, so they spent their time being flirty and making out.

"I think I need to go to the bathroom," Jigen said, giving a small nudge to Goemon before he stood and walked off.

"Uh, yeah, I need to wash my hands," Goemon said, following Jigen.

Lupin and Fujiko were too busy to notice the two leave.

Goemon entered the bathroom and was quickly grabbed by Jigen, who pulled him closer and started kissing him.

Goemon kissed back, neither caring if anyone saw them.

"Today was my last session," Jigen said, taking a quick break from kissing Goemon's neck. "I'm not gonna tell anyone, though. That way we can have that time together."

"Y-your last..." Goemon let out a small gasp as Jigen nibbled gently on his ear.

"Mmhmm. I'm cured."

"Th-that's good."

"Yeah," Jigen breathed into Goemon's neck. "We should get back."

Goemon nodded, the two separating and walking back to the table.

Lupin and Fujiko were still flirting with each other, both glancing up at Jigen and Goemon as they sat down.

"The waitress said she'd wait for you guys to get back so we could all order," Lupin said as Fujiko teased his hair.

"Okay." Jigen picked up the menu and glanced over it.

The waitress came and the four ordered, Lupin and Fujiko then paying attention long enough for them to all have a nice conversation.

When the food came they wasted no time digging in. Even Fujiko seemed to inhale her meal.

When the food was gone it was starting to get late, all leaving and getting into Jigen's car so he could drive them home.

Fujiko joined Lupin and both hurried inside of his house, Jigen waiting until both were inside until he took off towards Goemon's home.

"Are you doing anything tomorrow?" Jigen asked.

"I have to go to some kind of brunch with my parents," Goemon answered, annoyed by the fact he was being forced to go to some stupid thing for his fathers company.

"What time are you getting back?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"Me and Lupin are going to the mall tomorrow. I thought I'd come by and pick you up." He pulled his car up to the curb across from Goemon's house and looked over at him.

"I'm not sure I can go," Goemon sighed.

"What about Sunday? Doing anything then?"

Goemon shook his head.

"Great. Lupin's coming to my house in the morning, so you want me to pick you up?"

"Sure."

"Okay, I'll see you Sunday around ten." He leaned over and kissed Goemon.

Goemon kissed him back, then opened the car door and hesitated. "My... my parents won't be home for another hour if... if you-"

"Let's go," Jigen said, smiling as he turned the car off and got out, walking with Goemon to the front door.

Jigen was busy screwing Goemon on his bed when Goemon's parents walked through the front door. Goemon panicked and begged Jigen to stop, but Jigen had to finish before he could.

The deed done, both struggled to gather their clothes, Jigen taking his with him into the closet while Goemon jumped naked into bed and shut his light off, pretending to be asleep when his father cracked open the door and peaked in.

His door closing Goemon relaxed, exhaling and pushing the covers off him.

Jigen quietly opened the closet door as Goemon came towards it. Grinning, Jigen grabbed Goemon's hand and pulled him inside, both being as quiet as they could as they screwed each other again.

Finished and satisfied, Jigen kissed Goemon, threw his clothes on and snuck out the front door.

...

Jigen woke up in a great mood, got dressed and bounded out of the house, getting in his car and taking off for Lupin's house.

Lupin sat at the curb, standing when he saw Jigen drive up.

"What's with you," Lupin asked as he got inside the car. "You finally get laid?"

"No," Jigen laughed. "Why?"

"I don't know. You just seem different than usual."

"Well, I'm not," Jigen shrugged.

Lupin dropped the subject and fiddled with the radio until he found some old jazz song he liked.

The two listened to the music in silence until they got to the mall, the weekend traffic forcing Jigen to park in the back of the lot.

"Can I ask you something?" Lupin glanced over at Jigen as the two walked to the large two story building.

"Sure."

"What made you and Goemon suddenly become friends?"

"I don't know," Jigen shrugged. "I guess you were right. He's not such a bad guy after all."

"Oh..."

The two were silent through the parking lot, talking once they entered the mall and had something to talk about.

* * *

Due to certain current events I am not divulging in, this story makes me sad. Not cry sad, but 'ohmygod this is so fucking retarded I can't believe I am writing this' sad. So for this chapter I gave a sort of nice ending. Of sorts. The next chapter I'm gonna do a wacky summary of what I had planned for this story. And for me it'll be the best chapter/non-chapter of this story because I am more comfortable writing wacky crap that I'm sure only a handful of people laugh at. :D


	21. Chapter 21

Meh, not as wacky as I wanted, but it's done. This story is officially finished for me! Yay! One less thing to worry about! :DDDD  
And although not much of an ending, it's better than just letting it sit where it was and rot on this site. At least it answers some of the things I brought up in the story. xD

* * *

The Summary of the Rest of the Story

At the mall Lupin and Jigen do random crap that doesn't matter. Jigen drops Lupin off at his home and Lupin wanders around because it's what bored people do. He enters his dad's secret lair, well, his study, and finds the envelope he had received in chapter whatever and since it is now open he decides to read it. Dun dun dunnnn!

The next morning Jigen and Goemon are at Jigen's house (no buttsex cuz his mom is there lawlz) waiting for Lupin, but he doesn't show up and doesn't answer his phone. D: Worried, the ambiguously gay duo dashes to his house and find him still in the study. Lupin is drunk and emo, playing with his dad's gun (Walther P-7000x Deluxe limited edition signed!) and he's all "woo, I'm sad" crying and stuff. Jigen is all kind friend and asks what is wrong and Lupin is mean emo friend and screams at him. He screams that his parents don't want him, that the divorce papers are like "you take him, no you" and how he'd rather just die. He puts the gun to his head (oh noes! D:) and threatens to shoot himself. Jigen is still in his useless stage as he has no gun and no hats so he just stands and does nothing. Goemon is all super special samurai guy and runs forward to do some crazy samurai speedy action stuff and takes the gun away from Lupin.

Caring friends are caring as they comfort Lupin. All quickly forget the episode even happened as they go on with their lives.

Jigen and Goemon become more careless about their secret and make out somewhere not-so-private. Lupin walks in on them and is shocked. He slips out before he is noticed, though, so no awkward moment there. One day Lupin asks Jigen about it and demands to know why Jigen lied to him. Jigen does the typical "I'm offended" routine and the two fight while Lupin calls Jigen anti-gay things (yay! :D) and the two become mortal enemies. Goemon knows nothing about the fight but figures it out when he sees how Jigen and Lupin are acting. (He's so genius!) Goemon and Fujiko then team up to get the two back together.

Meanwhile, Jigen and his team of manly men football players go to the championship game, but lose at the last second because Jigen threw a bad pass. (Haha!) Jigen is crushed and cries over it, his dad seeing it and sadly not calling him a girl, but instead being filled with fatherly love and taking him out for steak. (Mmmm, steak. Much too manly for Jigen, though.)

Lupin and Jigen somehow end up becoming fwends again and all is good and happy in fanficland.

Jigen goes to one of Lupin's parties, which suddenly show up in the story, since his famous drunken parties are never mentioned, I don't think. But, being Lupin and rich and crap, he has them since it's what rich spoiled kids do. Jigen gets wasted, along with Fujiko, and in their wastedness they end up making out and sleeping together. Jigen wakes up in bed with her and, sudden confusion(!), he has no idea who he is anymore. But because she was crazy hot in bed he continues to see her while seeing Goemon on the side. But because teh wimmins are so much more pleasing he begins to see Goemon less. Goemon becomes jealous girlfriend bitch and spies on Jigen one night, seeing him making out with Fujiko. Crushed, he does what he does best and runs away and cries.

Goemon lets this go on because he is an idiot and still loves Jigen. But one night while the two are buttsexing Goemon brings it up, since it's the most appropriate time to talk about your boyfriend cheating on you. Jigen gets mad at Goemon accusing him of not loving him and storms off, after getting dressed of course, since naked Jigen kills squirrels.

Lupin ends up finding out about Jigen and Fujiko and the two end up mortal enemies once again.

Upset over the whole thing, Jigen ends up shunning the world.

Goemon goes back to being picked on and beat up at school. And so he goes back to his plan from way early in the story and the main reason I wrote this story. xD

On the day of the rally the students all gather inside of the gym. (I think it was supposed to be at the stadium at first, but let's just say the weather was bad since the scenario works better in the gym.) Lupin and Fujiko go and are all happy because they get out of class. Jigen is still Loner McEmo Face and sits around people he doesn't know. Jigen is all bored until Goemon enters and stands in the middle of the gym. Goemon then goes into some emotional tirade about how he hates everyone and wants them to die or whatever and he takes off his jacket to show he has bombs strapped to himself. (Ha, Lupin was right!) He says how he plans to kill himself and take everyone inside with him. People scream and try to leave but he says he'll blow himself up if they leave. (Okay, that didn't make sense, but let's go back and say he doesn't say he'll kill everyone at first. Maybe he wants something or something. "I want a million dollars and a helicopter! And a pony!") Jigen is watching, all 'oh noes mai x boifwen11one' and he jumps into action and talks to Goemon and apologizes and crap and goes on about how he still loves him and he gets a now sobbing Goemon to not blow himself up and saves the day, yay! But before they could have their lovey dovey moment the cops swarm the building and tackle the two and drag them off to the chair.

Jigen is let go and they still hold Goemon, who gets some sort of punishment.

But now Jigen is known to all at school to be a gaybo, so he is bullied and kills himself. No, not really, he just gets into more fights and shuts the bullies up. And even though he said what he did to Goemon he is still unsure if he even likes guys anymore, Fujiko making him straight or something magical. He ends up all confused and sad. :(

Lupin still works on Jigen's present. (Remember that? xD) He finishes it and gets an A+++++ and decides he will give it Jigen as a peace offering. So he wraps it up and meets Jigen by his locker one day and talks to him and says he's sorry and crap and gives him the gift. It is either early or late, since Jigen's birthday is a secret. Jigen opens the box and stares down at his gift, which is a wooden replica of the magnum his uncle once owned. Jigen gets all emotional and he and Lupin become fwends yay!

Winter then turns to Spring. In that time Goemon gets the kind of special treatment psychotic murderers do and is allowed to go back home. His parents are none too happy, their upper class snooty friends not wanting them at their parties and cheese tastings anymore. And so they decide to move away.

Goemon meets Jigen, Lupin and Fujiko for the last time, telling them he's moving back to Japan to resume his training. Some sort of happy emotional gathering ensues. Lupin then makes a promise that in the future he will make sure the four get back together again and that they will all work together to get Goemon's magical cutting-almost-everything sword from wherever it's hidden.

The school year passes quickly. Jigen graduates and is moving somewhere for... something, I guess. Lupin plans to move in with his grandpa in France. Fujiko stays to finish school.

The end involves the three at some kind of summer festival thingie, the last time they will be together for a while. It then has some sort of happy and cheeseball conversation thing.

The end! :D


End file.
